Know Me Better
by Drawica
Summary: New transfer student from America? This is going to go over well with the cast... A what-if story focusing on our MC and Ami Kawashima.
1. Chapter 1

_This story/fanfiction wasn't really created with the intent to be seen by others. In all honesty, I started writing it many months ago because of a number of life events happened and I wanted to find someway to cope with it. This is was an outlet for me to keep focused on something rather than dwell on what was happening and become further saddened by it. I created it with an intent on making it rather long, and I got a pretty good start on it by the time life started treating me better than it was. I only plan on posting this first chapter to gauge any feedback if possible, and post the rest of what I started if asked. Even if no one ever reads this, I will still write the story, but only one other person has read what I have right now so I thought it could help me if others looked it over. Any and all feedback is appreciated, be it negative or positive. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

 **Ch. 1**

* * *

When people ask you where you want to end up in the future, no one truly knows the answer to that question. It is a common question from adults to children, wondering to know if they have aspirations to take them further in life, to know if they have dreams and seem like they want to act on them. Tell me then, if that was the point, then how the hell did I end up in Japan?

Sitting in the small, barely moved in apartment in the suburbs of the Tokyo Prefecture, a feeling of exasperation drains me of all energy. Only just arriving in Japan a mere 12 hours earlier, the rush of arriving in a new place has all but worn off, and I can only sit in a dimly lit living room, flanked by numerous boxes of unpacked furniture and clothing. A lone candle sits on a tiny table in the middle of the room, and I blankly gaze in the ember. I grab my phone and glance at the time.

"8:43, huh…." I dryly remark. "It's way too late for me to go out now. I barely know my way around and it's dark as hell."

Standing up, I peer out the window blinds to see street lights moving across the urban landscape, with the only notable viewing pleasure being the neon lights of a nearby convenience store from my second floor perch. Moving away from the blinds, I move to unwrap my sleeping bag from my backpack. Laying it to the floor, I lie prone on the fabric and let out a heavy sigh.

"WHY. WHY DID I DO THIS." I find myself droning. I'd always been the type of person afraid of change, afraid of leaving the comfort of knowing what could happen the next day. Leaving the US to study in Japan seems like the least likely thing I would do. No point in complaining about it anymore, I think to myself. It was a choice I made, and with the unlikely help of a family friend, I found myself on plane to finish high school in a new country. I rifle through my backpack again to pull out a folder filled with papers and assorted school information. All of my registration information has been filed and ready for a while now. Ohashi High School, Class 2-C, I read as I flip through the pages. My first day is fast approaching, only two days from now as well. Ughhhhh, this is gonna be farcical. I just know it, something is going to happen to make me regret coming here. No, snap out it Dom, this is that new beginning everyone wishes they could have. I can't let my poor attitude mess this up, not before it starts. Putting the papers aside, I look for the boxes labeled "Bedroom" and retrieve a blanket to lay under. Tomorrow, I'll head to a bank and get the rest of this money transferred to Yen, and get my uniform. Don't wanna show up on my first day and look too out of place. Staring at the dark ceiling of my new home, my ears slowly shut and I try to ignore my anxiety.

"This is just the beginning". I breathe as I drift off into slumber.

Standing at the front gates of Ohashi High School, I can't help but feel my stomach tightening up. I look around and see people moving past me at quickened paces, although, considering I'm frozen in fear everyone else is probably moving at normal speed and I'm the weird one for being rooted to the spot. I take a few steps forward and take the scenery in, and it doesn't help my anxiety at all. I see assorted groups of girls and boys moving about, conversing and laughing with one another. The girls uniform seems to consist of a maroon blazer and blue skirt. The boys (and subsequently mine) uniform is what they call a gakuran, all black with straight leg pants. Definitely different from I was used to in America. Oh geez, I'm staring aren't I, I should probably head inside and find my homeroom now. The less I stand out, the better.

Walking inside the door, I spot the row of shoe lockers. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a tiny index card with various pre-written instructions for myself, since knowing me, I'd forget where I was. D-19, I had scrawled on the paper. I find the locker, and picking through the various keys on my keychain I unlock it and replace my outside shoes with the uwabaki. After locking my shoes up, I peer back at the paper. Apparently, I was in a hurried rush to get the information down, because I cannot for the life of me read what I wrote- OH SHI-! And apparently, I was so focused on what I was trying to read that I tripped over the step up into the hallway. Falling flat on your face is a good way to display your confidence to your peers. The few students that are in the vicinity see my unfortunate descent giggle to themselves as I pick myself up off the ground to my knees. Great, I think to myself, off to an awesome start.

"Hey dude, you alright?" I hear a voice chime. Facing its direction, I see the face of a male student.

"Yeah, I'm straight" I stutter as I stand. .

"You sure? Looked like you really need to talk to floor you fell so quick" he continued. Brushing myself off I eye the student. The first thing I notice is the blatant disregard for the uniform code he presents, as he is wearing a light blue hoodie underneath his gakuran. His long blue hair drapes his head as he flashes a friendly smile at me. "Hey, you must be the new transfer!"

Goddamn it, I think. Do I stand out that much? Already? I reach for the index card I dropped and reply, "Um, yes! I, uh, just transferred in today."

"Sweet man! Always happy to see some new faces around here!" The student laughs as he smacks my back roughly. Dammit, if I was wearing my glasses today that would've surely knocked them off. "What's that in your hands?"

"Uh, it uh, has some… uh, things I wrote down, to tell me where I should be going." I manage to get out.

"Really huh? Which homeroom are you?"

"It says, '2-C'". His eyes widen and a hearty expression grips his face.

"Well whaddya know? I'm from 2-C too!" Wow that's oddly convenient. My urge to make myself scarce due to my wipeout grows, but my urge to make myself seem less like a wandering idiot grows even greater.

"Would it uh, be too much trouble to show me to the classroom? I'm new…" Of course you are stupid, we just established you were the transfer student, "...and my rough directions I scratched out on this note aren't doing me any favors."

The student winks, "no prob, man. I'm more than happy to help a dude out." He starts off towards the stairs and motions me to follow him. Phew, I breathe. Crisis averted. As we ascend the stairs, we begin talking again.

"So what's your name man?"

"It's uh... " _shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit…_ "it's Dom. Drayton".

"Wow man, never heard a name like that." He glances at me and sees the obvious distress I show at that statement. I guess the idea of being a stand out among everyone was such an obvious fear I plaster it on my face. "Uh, don't worry about it man. You'll fit right in. My name's Koji Haruta by the by. Call me what you want. Haruta, Koji, whatever you feel alright with. You need any help meeting people or getting around, don't hesitate to ask".

Before I even realized it, we were already at homeroom. As we enter the classroom, I quickly survey the room. Around half of the seats aren't filled, so I assume more students aren't here yet. The students who are here are minding their own business, conversing among one another.

"Just sit wherever man. People usually just grab whatever seat they can." Koji tells me. My eyes gravitate towards the back right corner. Target acquired. I smile and thank him for helping me out. I reach the seat and place my pack down on the ground as I crumple into the seat. _Geez, I just got here and I feel like passing out from exertion already._ I pull out my phone quickly to check the time. _Six more minutes before class starts_. Placing it back in my pocket, I see Koji walk over to another student at the opposite corner and sit down next to him. Other students quickly start filing in and taking seats. I spy one male student whose eyes look like he'd kill a man who even breathed at him wrong. May need to avoid him if I don't feel like dying. Right behind him is a ridiculously small girl, couldn't be more than 4 foot 5 inches, with long, orange hair. Even from my hidden corner seat, I can feel a murderous aura emanating from her. They sit near each other and begin to what seems like bicker, but almost immediately she gets up and moves a few seats away from him. _Huh, wonder what's the deal with them._ Lost in thought, I didn't realize the rest of the students had finally reached their seats and the teacher * _cough_ *Sensei* _cough_ * was in the room at the front desk. She doesn't look a day over 30, yet her features betrayed her age, with shoulder length peach hair and a kind expression on her face.

"Good morning class! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Before we get started…" Oh no. Oh god. Oh no. "I'd like to introduce…" In that moment, it was as if a million tiny gnomes had constricted my body into paralysis, and began using my heart for kickboxing practice. My pupils dilate like a deer in headlights. How. Did. I. Forget. This.

"...our new transfer student from America!" Damn. She smiles directly at me. How did she see me back here. "Come on up and introduce yourself to class!" Everyone turns around in my direction. Oh God. My body instinctively unlocks itself from its paralysis. I push myself from my desk and try to notice the dozens of pairs of eyes glaring at me, waiting for me to move ahead. I approach the front of the room and turn around to look at everyone.

"H...H...hi. Uh. I'm… Dominic Drayton." If I died right now, it would be the best possible outcome if I didn't want to look even worse. I uncomfortably laugh and dart my eyes around the room. I don't know why I'm doing this, since now I look like a have googly eyes and can't even human good enough to speak. My eyes glance to where Haruta is sitting and he gives a quick thumbs up at me. That small gesture relieves some of the pressure in my body, so I repeat myself and bow to the students. "I'm Dominic Drayton, and I'm from the United States. I look forward to meeting... you...all…." Wh...wh...how. My eyes had moved to the right of the room again during my introduction and that is when I saw her. I'm not even sure how to properly put into words in this hurried, tense moment how amazing she looks, but in that span of time, I feel like my heart has sporadically grown three times its size and is trying to escape my chest cavity. Her gorgeous dark blue hair, her soft eyes, her large...uh...radiance she gives off. She isn't even looking in my direction. She's staring at her desk without a care in the world. I can feel my body reacting to her presence. At the same time, I realize I've been frozen in place for at least seven seconds in front of a room of strangers. The girl looks up from her desk with a bored expression and her eyes meet mine. And in that moment… I immediately looked away and hurried back to my desk in shame.

"Uh, alrighty Mr. Drayton" the teacher confusingly mustered. "I hope everyone makes him feel welcome here."

Back in my corner, my body temperature has raised well above acceptable healthy levels and my legs can't stop shaking. I try to see if I can get a glance of the girl from my seat, though I can make out is her hair from my position. I'm not sure what just happened. I just went from so nervous I couldn't speak to people I don't know, to almost spazzing out because I think I just witnessed the most beautiful girl ever one the first day of school. The only thing I know for this…

I'm never gonna get to talk to her am I?

Oh, homeroom is over. I can't even muster to remember what Sensei was even talking about. I think there was something about student council, and attendance was taken I think. I faintly remember making an empty grunt in response to my name. It was at this time that I realize just how out of place I must be in this school. How do I expect to be able to get around here without looking even worse. I guess I must've missed the entirety of what she was talking about, since I'm aware of other students getting up from their chairs and leaving the room. I notice someone approaching me from the front. and I pull myself from my stupor to see who would want to talk to an obvious wreck like me. A male student with short dark blue hair and glasses is standing in front of my desk and he greets me.

"Hi there, you're the new student correct?" He asks. I nod with a blank stare. "Well allow me to assist you in getting familiar with our school. My name's Yusaku Kitamura, vice-president of the student council. If you'd like I could help you around today, show you how to get to your classes, introduce you to some of our clubs…"

All my mind focuses on is clubs, and I start to panic. I was never a group person, and I guess my disposition doesn't do me any favors when getting to know new people. But I squint at Kitamura and study him for a brief moment. His face doesn't seem like that of an untrustworthy person, and for some odd reason I have an urge to trust him. Though that's probably because I have no clue where I was gonna head after homeroom.

"...uh...sure. Sure. Thank you. I didn't really have an idea of where I was going anyway." I flash a smile to show appreciation for his gesture. I stand up to join him, and gives me a thumbs up. As we exit, I notice the short girl again walking over the blue haired goddess as she's trying to leave her desk. We're already out the door and into the hallway before I hear a pained YELP! followed immediately by arguing and shouting. What the…

"I wouldn't worry about that, it happens pretty often between those two, always going at each other's throats". Kitamura tells me, since I've very noticeably shown a pained expression on my face. I want to question it, but I feel as if now is not the right time. The more important matter is familiarizing myself with my environment. And as it stands, I think to myself as Kitamura begins discussing how the classes and school work, this is the best moment for me to do so. I look back to him and (somewhat) listen intently as he leads me throughout my new school, and essentially, my new life.

As I reach my footlocker at the end of the day, I check my phone again for time, thinking for a moment that maybe I should get a watch at this point, and see that it just hit 4pm after my last class of the day. Wow, they don't play when it comes to school here. I look out the main doors of the building to see the sunset. The orange glow basking the scenery only makes me feel more exhausted over the day I just experienced. Between my little episode in homeroom, learning about what my classes entail, and just thinking about the situation I'm in, I half expected to collapse on the floor. I take my outdoor shoes out of the footlocker and begin changing them around with my uwabaki. After doing so and double checking my backpack, I head for the door. Except there seems to be a person in the way. Oh. Great. What now. The silhouette of a girl blocks the door, with her arms on her hips and an oddly determined look on her face. My eyes are drawn to her hot pink hair, and then back to her face. She's...strangely cute I find. Which of course triggers my "reflex" and I completely forget what words are. I say nothing for what seems like a good few seconds. I don't know what to say. I don't even know what she's doing. She just continues to stare directly at me with a furrowed brow and small frown. Since Mexican standoffs were never my forte, I make the the move to break the tension.

"What's up, can I...help you?" I manage to get out.

"You didn't think you'd be able to escape my clutches did you?" she shoots back. Wot, I think. Is this for real. It probably was for real since in that instant the girl jets from her standing position into a sprint towards me. I feebly raise my hands in defense since I have no idea what she's attempting. I seem to have predicted wrong, the girl has already built up enough momentum to perform a baseball slide that connects cleanly with my lower legs. Needless to say I felt the glory of freefalling for but a moment before hitting the hard tile. I flip around quickly to face my attacker, but only fast enough to see her lunging towards me in my prone state. She lands on top of me, knocking the wind out of me for the second time in five seconds, and places her hands on my chest.

"I can't believe you were just gonna leave without introducing yourself to me!" She laughs at me. What. How. I have no response to this student randomly accosting me. Blankly looking at her face, I recognize her slightly. I faintly remember her face from homeroom today while I was scanning the room of eyes directed at me.

"I've gotta meet all the new people dude, it'd be rude of me not to help welcome you to the class!" She continues. I had imagined having a cute girl sit on my lap possibly a half dozen times before, but now that it's happening, I have nothing to say or do in response. I cough in an attempt to regain some of the air that was ejected from my lungs in the struggle.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to be so rough" the girl apologizes as she stands up and helps me off the ground. "I was gonna tackle you but my softball instinct kicked in when you held your hands up like that." I look down and see our hands are still clasped together. I never did release the tension from my body when I first noticed her and this doesn't help out at all. She makes a meek yelp and blushes when she makes the observation and retracts her hands from mine. I can feel the blood rushing to my face as well, though it's probably less visible than her's. An awkward silence ensues as we both look at our shoes in embarrassment.

"My name is Minori Kushieda", my attacker finally says after looking up. "Feel free to call me Minori if you want, I'm fine with it. You're Dominic right?" I nod in response. It'd probably be rude not to say something would it…

"Yep, that is...me. I guess. I think I remember seeing you in homeroom this morning, while I was introducing myself to everyone."

She giggles. "You looked really nervous up there earlier, I thought you were gonna have a meltdown or something!" Geez, I am "that guy" to everyone else apparently.

"Oh, I hoped I wasn't that obvious to everyone. I guess I'm just a little 'too' new here to be able to hide it."

"Nah don't worry about it man. Give it a little while and you'll fit in with the rest of us. I've been raring to see a new face around here anyway, and you fit that bill perfectly ya know?" I chuckle at her in an attempt to show confidence, but the fact I was just slide tackled and pounced on has rattled my nerves ever so slightly. Reaching for my backpack and resting it on my shoulders I glance at Minori again. I can't even begin to process the thoughts running through my head at this given moment, but a feeling in the back of my head tellsme I shouldn't be freaking out too much right now. She flashes a smile at me, a gesture that allows me to breathe slightly easier.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Minori" I tell her.

"Likewise Dra…." She begins but stops when she sees my squinty eyed reaction to being called by my last name. "Dominic!" Minori finishes. "Me and some friends are talking about going to hang out in a little while. Wanna come with?"

I pause for a moment and ponder it for a quick moment. Except my mouth already said "Sure!" before my brain could comprehend the situation.

"Cool! This'll be great since this is one of the few days I'm not busy, you'll get to meet everyone!" Minori beams. If I'd using my head I would've said no, not only because of my fear of human contact, but I feel like it would be smart to get home to get a jump on unpacking and settling in. But I'm in it now, so there's no helping it. Minori grabs my arm and leads me along out the door of the school. I don't even attempt to resist and follow closely behind. We move briskly through the courtyard and she says quickly, "you're gonna meet the coolest group of people you'll ever know". Just as we get past the front gate, she yells out in front of her.

"Hey guys! I caught a live one!" She yoinks me around the stone wall to reveal my vulnerable state. "He's our 6th right?" The group she happens be associated with consists of Kitamura (how lucky), the short orange haired girl who was giving off the murderous aura, and the guy with the killer eyes. Oh. WELL THIS IS GREAT.

"Gonna have to make that 'our 5th', Kushieda" Kitamura mentions as he adjusts his glasses. "Ami said she 'had something else to take care of' so she isn't coming."

"Aww, I promised our new friend here he'd get to meet everyone. Ah well." We move closer to the group and she lets go of my arm and pushes me towards to group. "You guys remember Dominic from this morning right?" They all nod in acknowledgement. Damn. I need to work on that. I survey the group left to right. Kitamura smiles and waves at me.

"Hey again, hope you got through your first day alright." He chuckles. I laugh back but then look to the other two of the group. I have to arch my neck just to look at the orange haired girl. She eyes me up and down and squints at me. The other male student steps in front her and introduces himself.

"H...hey there, I'm Ry-"

"You're not gonna mug me later are you?" I blurt.

He makes a pained sigh. "No, I'm not gonna mug you, people seem to think that because of my eyes right?"

"Heh, it was the first thing I noticed about you to be honest. Sorry." I apologize

"Ugh, don't even worry about it. I get it enough it doesn't really bother me much. I'm Ryuuji Takasu by the way." He glances down at the orange haired girl, whose arms were folded and eyes were glued to the ground. "Taiga, you're oddly quiet right now."

"Well maybe it's because I don't feel like talking right now you idiot." Damn son….She's cold. She flashes me a pouty/I'm gonna kill you look at me.

"The troublemaker here is Taiga Aisaka" Ryuuji continues. "She seems standoffish but she really is a nice….OOOF". The girl apparently didn't take kindly to that statement, seeing as Ryuuji is now recoiling from the blow to his lower gut. She retracts her elbow then goes back to pouting. This is a wonderful peanut gallery we've got here.

"So what are we doin' guys?" Minori chimes in.

"I think we should keep it simple, for Dom's sake." Kitamura suggests. "getting some food would be a easy way for us to get to know him better."

"Sounds great!" Minori exclaims.

"I'm fine with that, though I'll have to get something for Yasako if we do." Ryuuji responds. Taiga is still standing there pouting. It's a very obvious feeling when someone doesn't like you, and she is making no attempt to hide it.

"Fine. Doesn't matter to me." She eventually breathes. It seems to be a recurring theme today for me to have no real response to the going ons around here. Everyone else though makes an effort to smile and they agree on a place, and they assure me the food will be delicious. Right as we start our walk, I manage to speak up.

"Hey uh, if it ain't too much trouble, you call me something other than Dominic, like Dom or something. You don't have to if you don't want to but I'm just letting you know."

"Hmm…" Minori ponders for moment, then becomes suddenly very animated. "What about...The Dominator! Or how about, Lord of the Dominion. No, no, this is way better. Dominatrix!" The girl looks at me wide eyed for approval. My lack of answer or words is enough for her. "Dom it is then, heh."

"She's always like this, if you hadn't picked up on it" Ryuuji laughs. Minori sticks her tongue out at him. Nice one dude, you've found a group of people who seem to be really accepting of your introverted, turtle like self. And on the first day? That's a new record.

"So why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Kitamura asks me as we sit down in Johnny's Diner. The smells of the restaurant wafting around my nose are immediately ejected from my brain as I realize I'm stuck in between Minori and Kitamura in the diner booth, and Aisaka and Ryuuji are opposite us. Aisaka seems to be focusing on anything that isn't directly in front of her. That question has always baffled me, even when I was home in the U.S. I never knew what exactly people wanted me to tell them.

"Um, well. I. Could you...throw a topic at me? I'm not used to people asking something like that to me." I admit.

"Alright, what do you usually do in your free time? Any hobbies?"

"Oh. Well. At the moment, my current hobby is cleaning my apartment and getting moved in…"

"YOU ENJOY CLEANING TOO?!" Ryuuji jumps on me. A worried expression is my response.

"N-no not particularly. I just moved in and the previous tenant apparently didn't know what a broom was. Dust everywhere. Not to mention I still need to move in properly.

"If you uh…*ahem* need help getting your place cleaned up, you could give me a call." I'm probably not following what he's saying.

"God, you're a such damn Mom, Ryuuji." Aisaka dryly states as she darts her eyes towards me. "This little dog here gets his rocks off by cleaning up his and other people's messes. He'd probably have a field day getting all that dust and grime in your home." Cleaning? The guy with Yakuza eyes has a penchant for disinfecting and cleansing? That's a new one. Ryuuji glares at Aisaka.

"Like I was saying…" I continue. "When I'm not moving in, I usually just hang around, listen to some music or play some video games. I used to be into sports when I was a little kid. Things like football (soccer) and tee ball. But I was never too good at them, and didn't really enjoy them as much as I thought I did."

"If you weren't having fun with it then it's alright if you stopped playing. No point in giving your all to something you aren't passionate about." Kitamura tells me. Ryuuji asks me,

"How's Japan been treating you since you got here?"

"Eh, well enough I suppose." That was a very reserved response. In all actuality, just the thrill of being somewhere so different from what I'm used to has my senses going on overdrive as I try to make sense of all that's around me. It's the most invigorating thing I've experienced in my life. "Just moving to a new country is exciting enough for me, so I'm just taking things one step at a time, if that makes sense."

"Totally man, it's natural to be overwhelmed when you get put in a new situation like moving to a completely new place." Ryuuji says.

"Oooo, ooo,oooo" Minori goes. "I've got one! What was America like?" Geez. I was afraid of that question.

"America's a big place," I start. "I'm from a state in America called Michigan. If you were to look on a map, it'd be the state that shaped like a mitten. I always found it cool that I lived in the one of the most distinctive states in the country, since there are quite a few states over there that are just masses of land slapped together with some lines for borders."

"What was school like down there?" Kitamura inquires.

"My school? Well. I had started high school down there, it was called Franklin High School. I mean, they seemed like they prided themselves on educated the children but as for whether they were a good school or not, I have no clue really.

"Did you leave any loved ones behind when you came here?" Minori asks in a tone that is noticeably less chipper than all her previous statements.

"Oh definitely. Pretty much all my family I left behind. Mom, aunts, the whole nine. Left some friends too. Close ones. Guys I'd take a bullet for."

"What about…" Minori pauses before she asks. "...girlfriends?" The most off the wall surprise attack I'd ever seen. Would've been a critical hit and ended the match if we were taking score. I can't help but fidget in my seat just thinking about it. I look at Ryuuji and he's looking at Minori with a slightly concerned face before realizing what he was doing.

"Uh. No. I didn't leave any girlfriends behind. I've honestly never been in a relationship, not even close. I wasn't very popular with girls back home. It doesn't bother me much." I attempt to save face here. "I never really had any interest in a relationship to begin with. Didn't feel like I was ready."

"Mmm. Makes sense I guess." Minori replies. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to make of that. Though, seeing the the constant eye games between Kushieda and Takasu would imply something else is happening here and not the "other" possibility that I'm stupid for even thinking about. The food we order arrives and we begin digging in while also chatting about other miscellaneous topics like homework, their family and the like. Admittedly this feels, really great to be able to be open to a group of people like this. They all (well most of them) seem to be really nice people I can see being really good friends with. Through all the idle chatter though, I couldn't have been ready for Aisaka to suddenly speak up out of nowhere.

"You know, there was a question I wanted to ask you. Why did you even come here? To Japan?" And, she went and did it. She went and asked the one question I hoped I wasn't gonna get for at least a few days, maybe a week.

"I uh, don't feel comfortable talking about it. Let's just say, uh, it was probably for the better that I cut ties and leave it at that." Everyone at the table seems to have stopped their idle conversation too and has become silent. Goddamn it, this is even worse. I think to myself. In order to break the tension, I think of the first thing that comes to mind.

"So uh, Kitamura. You said there was supposed to be a sixth here with us but she couldn't make it?" I ask.

"Oh right," he responds. "Our friend Ami Kawashima said something about the gym so she couldn't join us. It's a shame, you probably would've liked her. Me and her have been childhood friends her years..."

"That stupid chihuahua would've just dampened the mood anyway." Aisaka blurts out.

"It didn't help that you tried to pull out some of her hair this morning, Taiga". Ryuuji rebutts.

"If she didn't have such stupid look on her face all the time maybe I wouldn't have to put her in her place so often."

Wait a minute.

"Uh, what does Ami look like?" I ask to anyone who would answer.

"Well, she's tall." Kitamura starts.

"She's got beautiful long blue hair." Minori continues. Oh goodness.

"She's got huge boobs that probably took up the space of where her brain should be." Aisaka finishes.

"Oh my god." I breathe aloud. "It's her." I didn't even realize I was speaking out loud.

"Oh is that who you were ogling over this morning?" Aisaka jests.

"H-how- it wasn't that obvious was it?" I say.

"Probably not. Did you guys notice?" Everyone shakes their heads in unison. Minori gets really excited in that moment.

"OOOOoooo, you like Kawashima don't you?" She squeals.

"..." Nothing even thinks about coming out. My face has gone so red I could cook eggs on my face.

"Ugh, you would fall for the stupid chihuahua. All body and not much else, I'm afraid." Aisaka scoffs. "Not like her body is anything special to begin with…"

Kitamura chortles, "if you want, I can introduce you two if you want to meet her. Like I said, we've been childhood friends for a long time so it wouldn't be much of a problem." I try to hide my pronounced excitement at the idea of the gesture, but who am I kidding, that would be awesome.

"I would uh, like that a lot actually." I muster out. "Making the first move has always been the failing part of the test for me. Lack of confidence in myself and worth has always been an issue, but if you can help smooth that part out, I may be able to handle myself."

"Don't worry about it," Ryuuji tells me. "We can help you out with that part no problem." Minori grabs my right arm and giggles.

"Dom you don't know how lucky you are. We're gonna get you a date with a mo-" In that brief moment, she caught herself and said "Oopsy" as everyone else laughs at a joke that I don't know the punchline to. After we finish our food, we get ready to get back home once we're outside.

"You sure you know where to go?" Ryuuji asks.

"Yep, got the address in my phone and I'll just follow that." I smile. "Thanks you guys. Meeting you all was, who am I kidding, you guys are awesome."

"You're pretty cool yourself." Minori points back and winks. If I could blush any more today I'd run out of blood. Everyone waves as we all split up directions, except Aisaka and Ryuuji who leave together.

Reaching my apartment, I throw my backpack to the ground as I enter and lock and lock my front door. Looking at my living room, a number of boxes still line my walls, with the only things present being the table in the center of the room and my TV. Sauntering into my dark bedroom, I plop down on my bed and I stare into the void and think back on my day. I can't help but let out a genuine happy laugh. I've only been here for less than a week, and already I've met what feels like really special people. Maybe I don't have to go through this alone, not like I did at home. I think back to when my eyes met with Kawashima's, and I feel that pang of nervousness and warmth in my heart again. It's always happens, they just need to be only the slightest bit attractive and I'm left a useless wreck. But my nervousness subsides when I think about how Minori and Kitamura said they'd help me out meeting her. Though, I'm not really sure where to go from there, it may crash and burn right there, but at the very least, I know I won't have to wait until the year is almost out before I make a move. Checking my phone for time, I decide to finish unpacking tonight, I'm so imbued with energy now. It's like a spirit has taken me over and I feel strangely happy. I don't know what my next few weeks hold, but I'm definitely hopeful.

Dear god, I wasn't ready for what happened.


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh crap, oh no, this ain't good. I can't believe I'm late on my fourth day already_. "This is a wonderful day to be late too", I moan to myself as I hastily sprint through the neighborhood to reach school. Bag in hand and chest on fire, my feet pound the pavement with ferocity. Fate just felt like playing with me as well, as I feel droplets of rain periodically descend onto my face. I quickly glance up to see the overcast sky looming overhead, and the thought of being caught in the rain only makes me push myself harder to get to school before it was too late. I burst past a group of construction workers and ignore a crosswalk stop sign without thinking. I guess my need to get to school is greater than my self-preservation instinct as I run to the opposite side of the street, just barely missing a passing car and dodging the sweet embrace of death. The school enters my view after near death experience and I breathe a sigh of relief. _2 minutes left, I may just make it. At least my day can't possibly get more exciting._

 **Wrong.**

I crash into my chair in homeroom, my chest set ablaze and my breath haggard. I was only able to give passing glances and waves to Ryuuji and Minori when I spotted them on the way in. I'm too exhausted to think about anything but how close I was being late in the first week of school already. A quick check reveals that Ami isn't in her seat, which puzzles me. _I thought homeroom was about to start._ I faceplant the desk and groan in both pain and irritation, not noticing Kitamura approaching me with a smirk on his face.

"Wow, I'm almost afraid to ask what happened to you," he chuckles at me.

"Well, for starters my alarm didn't go off…" I begin, but I decide in my head it doesn't really matter at this point. "A lot of stuff happened Yusaku. I was sure I was gonna end up late on the way here."

"Late? Don't you remember? Teach said she'd be almost twenty minutes late this morning because of something she had to deal with before school." Banging my head on the desk several times was the only response I could conceive in that moment. My heavy breathing must've also been a red flag to Kitamura.

"No offense, but you sound like you're about to keel over and pass out. Did you run all the way here?" I make a passive grunting noise in response. "Figures. Here." Kitamura rummages through his pocket before holding out his hand. Looking up, I see a few coins that look to equal out to around 300 yen. "You should go buy yourself something to drink, should help you feel better. Plus I sorta feel bad, since you just ran all this way no reason." My mind is telling me to reject the money and thank him for his kindness anyway, but I notice that I'm actually wheezing to keep my breath stable so I just accept his gift.

"Th-thanks man. I appreciate it." I cough.

"Don't worry about it. The closest vending machines are down the hall to the right."

"Near the stairs?" He nods. Awesome. Pushing myself from the desk, I tell Kitamura I'll be right back. Lazily walking out the door, I start down the hallway. I try to regulate my breathing, hoping to slow my heart rate. I listen to the sound of the rain falling against the hallway windows, hoping it helps calm me further. I round the corner at the stairs and tunnel vision the drinks in the vending machine. Admittedly this is my first time buying from a vending machine in Japan, so I have no clue what would be inside.

"Alrighty, uh. I have no clue what that is. Or that. Tea? Am I just not gonna find water or something?" I mutter to myself, fumbling with the coins Kitamura gave me. "Christ, guess I'll just wing it...oh shoot." The money slips from my hands and I make an attempt to retrieve them before they roll under the machine. My arm lunges for one of them but freezes in place. The sound of clanking metal rings in my ears. In my race to grab the coin, I see the form of someone sitting in between two vending machines, canned drink in hand. Still frozen in place, my eyes make contact with the figure, and they glare back at me.

"God, you are just a clumsy wreck are you?" Ami Kawashima coldly mutters to me.

A million things race through my head at once, and I have no ability to process any of them. My arm is still outstretched, grasping for the coin that has long drifted underneath the humming vending machine. _System error, system error, variable not found_. My heart rate kicks back into overdrive as my eyes lock onto hers. The look on her face is one of both confusion and ambivalence. Her violet eyes seem to pierce my very being, and I begin to feel very naked in front of her, as if she can she everything about me in a single glance. I retract my arm in a snap and stare at the tile floor in embarrassment. My skin starts to feel very hot and the blood flows to my cheeks.

"Uh...uh... no I'm not!" Is all my brain can say in retaliation to her statement. Ami's eyes soften as she gives me a once over. _Dear god I hope I don't look like a loser to her right now. This was not how it supposed to go. Not at all._

"You're that new transfer student right?" She asks, but this time in a much different tone. She sounds much happier and kinder, a far cry from her first words to me. Still paralyzed in fear, I don't even try to move. Ami giggles and pushes herself from her spot in between the vending machines. A feel her hand grasp mine and she smiles at me warmly.

"I remember you from earlier this week. Name is...Dominic right?" I can't feel my body. This beautiful girl is standing within inches near me, her hand in mine and I seem to have forgotten...everything. _Snap the hell out of it man! NOW!_ My consciousness wakes me up to the situation. I can't just stand here and gawk like an idiot. I muster all I can force words from my brain into my mouth.

"Y-yeah! I'm Dominic. I'm, uh...surprised you remember." I manage to get out.

"How could I forget you? People have been talking about you all week!" My eyes shoot to my right hand, which she still has firmly between her two hands. "I'm Ami Kawashima, I've been wanting to talk to you since you showed up the other day!" My eyes light up joyfully as Ami says this, and she giggles playfully in response to my reaction.

"R-r-r-eally? I mean, like, why, no like, I'm just…" Tripping over my words like banana peels. She gently retracts her hands from mine and places them behind her back.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" She inquires slyly.

"N-no. Not really." I lie. My cheeks should just be skillets at this point, they're so hot right now. "I just...just, uh…."

"C'mon don't be so shy. I didn't do anything wrong did I?" Her smile forms into a sad frown.

"No! Of course not!" Blurts from my mouth. "It's just that...well..." While I'm stammering, she flashes a devious smile. There's no way I haven't been made by now. Might as well just be honest. "..I think you're really cute is all." _Great. Just great. You messed up. The one chance you had, gone._ Ami gives me a wide eyed stare for what feels like ages. I feel as if a thousand eyes are locked on to me at once, even though the only souls here are me and Kawashima. After what is actually four seconds, Ami gives a soft "teehee" to herself and steps ever so slightly closer to me, being only mere centimeters from my face. My heart actually stops when she does this, her intentions lost on me.

"I can tell you're blushing, you know?" She whispers to me. _How the hell…_ "I find it so flattering that I make you act this way. It's just adorable." My brain is trapped in a cycle of being aroused and frightened. I've always thought if a girl were to approach me in such a manner, I wouldn't hesitate at the thought of going for it. Now that it's happening, I can only think about how to get out of this situation. _Shoot, I need an out. Like now. Uh….Oh right!_

"I. I think I'm getting call," I sputter while slowly backing up and gliding to round the corner. "It was nice meeting you Kawashima!"

"Nice meeting you, Dominic!" She waves at me while I'm retreating. In the split second before she's out of sight I notice Ami's expression turned from her sexual deviant face to obviously irritated. I don't want to think about what just happened yet. I just want to back to my seat in class and calm myself. Reaching homeroom once more, I notice Yuri-sensei approaching from down the hallway with a drained look on her face. I run into the room with the rest of the students. Minori smiles at me as I pass, but I'm too frazzled to give her a smile back. I sit down in at my desk and try to parse what just happened in my head.

"..." Nothing. I can't hold onto a single piece of information in my head. Static. White noise. Ami. More static. Nothing seems to fit with one another. I have never been in such a vulnerable position before, and besides Minori, I've never had a girl been so close to me like that, and Minori didn't do it on purpose! Knees weak, hands sweaty, I decide I need to talk to someone, and soon. My eyes gravitate to the front of the room where Yuri-sensei has walked inside the room, muttering under her breath incoherently. A random student greets her,

"Good morning sensei!" The teacher quickly snaps her head in the direction of the student with a twitch in her eye.

"What's so good about it huh? Is it good because you're still young!? Still have your future to look forward too? Don't have to worry about dying alone!?" I can't see the student's reaction, but I can make a pretty good guess though. Ignoring that, I retrieve a notebook and pencil from my backpack and rip a sheet of paper from the book. I quickly scrawl down my note in a hurry and fold it up three times. _I need to talk to Ryuuji and Kitamura…_ I whisper to the person in front of me and hand them the note.

"What's the matter man? You look like you've seen a ghost." Kitamura starts when he sees me during lunch.

"You're not sick are you? We can take you to the nurse's office if you aren't feeling good." Ryuuji suggests. Both of them aren't too far off from the truth. I stand up, lean on the back wall and sigh.

"So uh, after I went to treat my case of 'not breathing' this morning, I went to those vending machines, around the corner down the hallway…." Ryuuji shuts his eyes and groans.

"Don't tell me…"

"...and I saw Kawashima there, hiding between them. And I was not ready for that."

"Yeah, that's sort of, her spot she goes to whenever she can. I guess no one told you…"

"Mhm, I guess no one did tell me…" I glare at Kitamura who awkwardly shrugs and attempts to play it off.

"Sorry man, I wasn't really thinking about her when I sent you that way."

"You told him to go there?" Ryuuji shoots at him.

"I was trying to help him out, he seemed like he was gonna die if he didn't get a drink or anything…" My look to both of them as they banter back and forth, sighing in exasperation. Kitamura faces me and continues.

"Well, what happened when you met her?"

"...eh. I don't even know." I explain the whole ordeal to the both of them. When I'm finished, Kitamura shuts his eyes and places a hand on his chin. Ryuuji shakes his head and sighs. They look at each other then back at me, and I piece it together rather quickly.

"There's something you're not telling me is there…."

"You...could say that." Kitamura relents. I notice Minori and Aisaka sitting near the front of the room with their backs to us, eating their lunch. Minori makes a quick glance back to Ryuuji, then to me with a somewhat concerned look on her face before turning around again. Ami isn't in the room, but is no doubt probably near the room in the hallway I predict. Both guys grab desks and sit down. I sit down in my desk, not knowing where this conversation could possibly go.

"So you remember how I told you me and Ami were childhood friends?" Kitamura inquires.

"You told me earlier this week, at the diner." I respond curtly.

"Well, I know we told you she's a really nice person, but...there's a bit more to it than that." He gives a deep sigh. "I'm not sure if you knew this already, but Ami's sort of a famous model." I squint my eyes at him and give him a "are you joking me?" look. His stare is stone cold, unflinching.

"...ok. You're serious…."

"Yeah. And ever since I've known her she has this...thing where she has to act a certain way around people because of her job. It's not uncommon for her to talk to one person one way, then completely switch the way she talks to another." A pit in my stomach grows as a rush of deja vu washes over me, drowning all those warm feelings I was having about Kawashima earlier. _Another one..._

"So you're saying she's fake then. Great. Guess I never will escape them, no matter how far I run…" I lament out loud.

"No, I wouldn't necessarily say she's fake, you've gotta understand. She really is a good person, but she's so used to pretending to be a certain way that I'm worried about her. I asked Ryuuji here to try help break her out of her shell when I first introduced them. But…"

"I've pretty much given up on that venture." Ryuuji bluntly states. "I agree, there's probably a decent enough person under the guise she has, but you have to fight tooth and nail just to draw it out of her. It's just difficult for me to worry about that AND Taiga at the same time. It doesn't help that they hate each other to begin with."

"So Dominic, let me ask you. Do you still like Ami? Even after finding this out about her?" Kitamura asks somewhat desperately. I fold my arms and turn away for a moment. Even after finding out that she exists on what feels like a whole other plane of existence from me, even after finding out that everything she said to me earlier could've been the biggest steaming pile of BS ever served to me, the attraction still lingers. I feel like it would be unbecoming to come off as still into her in such a drastic manner to them.

"Yeah, I guess…" I reply solemnly. That was an awful lie, I've been head over heels for Ami since I first saw her, and meeting her today was exciting. My heart is fluttering at the simple thought of her. _I'm just...I don't feel man enough to do anything about it, to act on it._

"I've never been able to find out why she acts the way she does, and I don't want her to end up ostracizing herself from every person she meets. Even the two girls she hangs out with, Kashii Nanako and Kihara Maya probably don't know about how she behaves yet."

"I think I'm pickin' up what you're asking me Yusaku. You think me, the new guy, the sad lonely guy, will be able to break the cute girl out of her defensive 'I am bitch' shell." I chuckle to myself at the thought of such a thing ever happening. "What you're asking for is a miracle. A fantasy." I look down at my desk, smiling but obviously hurt. "Girls have never wanted anything to do with me, romantically or otherwise. What would make Kawashima any different?" I bring my gaze back up to face Ryuuji and Yusaku, who've expressions have downed significantly.

"I'll...try. I know for a fact this is gonna fail, and I'll end up regretting this very quickly. But if you think I can do something, no point in me not trying. It'd be a new experience for me, if you could even call it that." A single tear wells up in my eye and I rest my head on the desk. "At the very least, you guys will see a demo run of what happens when I fall hopelessly in love with someone…" The room is silent besides the pitter patter of autumn rainfall beating on the classroom window. The bell signaling the end of lunch rings throughout the school and students begin raising from their seats. _Why do I always do this to myself…_

* * *

The last bell of the day had long since past, and I had no intention of finishing this language arts homework at home. I'm feeling one of those "put some music on the speakers and drift off" nights. The classroom was empty, bar the rows of deserted desks and dim sunlight struggling to enter through the window blinds. The only reason it's taking me so long is because I can't keep my mind straight long enough to remember the answers I'm finding. I'm constantly having to go back and re-read sentences I've been staring at for minutes, and it doesn't help that my Japanese isn't as good as it should be. _Screw it, I'll figure it out some other time. Not like it's due tomorrow either way._ I pummel all my supplies into my pack and sigh. I exit the classroom and start heading for the school entrance. _I have the worst luck when it comes to girls. Seems like every one I end up liking ends up just using me, or hates me for some odd reason. I mean I'm sorry I'm an awkward waste of space but am I just really that repulsive? How do I know Ami isn't that way? What am I even supposed to do about her anyway? Like, what does Ryuuji and Yusaku think I'm gonna be able to do. Ain't got the slightest idea about Kawashima, don't know what to say next time I see her, don't know anything about how to approach her...wait. Whose voice is that?_ I had only barely reached the shoe cupboards when I hear what sounds like a heated argument near the entrance doors. I duck back behind the stairs and strain my ears to decipher what is being said. _That's...Minori! Who is she… oh... that sounds... yeah, that's Kawashima._

"...don't understand why it matters to you. You don't even know him. Seems like you're just being nosy to me."

"Just because I don't know him that well doesn't mean I'll just sit and watch you hurt him like that. He doesn't deserve that, no one does."

"Oh that's real rich coming from you Kushieda. Maybe you should open your eyes and drop YOUR act before getting on my case about being fake!" A brief pause happens.

"This isn't about me. I don't think you know, or maybe you just don't care, how that affected him. That 'little miss clumsy' act you put on is gonna do more harm than good. You didn't hear him earlier. You didn't hear what he told us...did you even stop think about what you were doing? Was any of it even true?!" Another pause, this one longer than the previous.

"...what does it matter to you. I got my fun out of it, you just seem to be jealous because he's not fumbling on the floor over you. What, just because you can't have your little crush you need to implant yourself in other people's love lives?"

"You know that's not true. And don't try to turn this on me. If you like him then tell him. You don't need to keep this facade up. Please."

"And what if I don't like him? What if I just felt the need to mess with him a little bit for fun?"

"...then you're an even worse person than I thought." The sound of footsteps disappearing echoes through the hallway. I had stopped breathing long ago, and now I'm just biding time until I think they've both gone. A good minute passes before I rise from my crouching position behind the stairs. I feel like the coast is clear, so I continue down the hallway to reach my shoe cupboard. Just as I pass a row of lockers, the silhouette of Kawashima is visible. She's just standing there staring outside. Before she can notice me, I head to my cupboard to switch to my outside shoes. The noise probably alerted her to someone's presence, no doubt. I move to the door, in plain sight of Ami, and I hear a slight "eek!". My hand is already on the door, and I look back at her and fix my eyes with hers. A frown forms on my lips.

"Oh! Dominic, I haven't seen you since earlier!" She scoots up to me, clasping her hands together and giving me puppy eyes. "You didn't happen to hear what just happened did you?"

"Nope."

"Oh, goodness, it was awful. Kushieda just came up to me and started accusing me of doing some awful things. I tried to explain to her she must've been mistaken but she just wouldn't listen to me." My gaze is unwavering, still locked in place on her eyes. She grabs my free arm and grips to it tightly. "I'm not sure what her problem was to be honest. But next time she or anyone tries make fun of me like that, could you come to my rescue? Oh, I almost forgot. Is it alright if I call you Dommy? I thought of it earlier and just felt it would be much cuter to call you that." Kawashima continues to smile at me intensely, waiting for me to respond, no doubt with fervent loyalty. I can't believe what I'm hearing. My mind has too many things running through it, in such a small amount of time. "What's the matter Dommy?" Before my stupor becomes apparent to Ami, I absentmindedly release my arm from her grip and make my way through the door. A look of confusion takes over her visage. Before I realize it, I'm already out the door with the blankest of stares gripped to my face. I turn on last time to Kawashima, my broken state now visible to her.

"Dommy, what…?" Her timid voice whispers.

I can't even muster any words before I slowly lumber off away from the school, leaving the entrance doors to shut on Ami, alone.

"Falling in love is one of the most painful experiences I've ever encountered. More so than a broken bone, more so than scabbed arm, more so than pouring cereal to find out you're out of milk. It's so easy to fall in love, but it's so hard to fall out of it too. You want to believe, you want to feel like you have a chance in a world so filled with strife and sadness. And you think that one person will be the one to break the status quo you've been so accustomed to. It's only when you realize just how foolish of a notion that is, that you begin to see just how alone you truly are in the world.

But even though I'm in pain, even though I feel empty right now, she still radiates in my clouded mind. Why? Why does she continue to shine even when I've seen the light for what it truly is? It is because I haven't. It's because something in my heart tells me, this isn't how it's going to end. "

"Wow this is movie is lame." I laugh to myself. "Why am I even watching this?" The TV set goes dark as I kill the power with the remote. Thinking back on the day, I decide that I should talk to Minori tomorrow about what happened. And, I should confront Ami soon too. My heart goes weak thinking about Kawashima, but my brain fights hard to deny the emotions.

"Hey Minori!" I call from the end of the hallway. I catch her with Aisaka in the hallways, among the hustle and bustle of students moving about. I run up to them and Aisaka gives a quick glare but my defeated expression softens her face.

"Hi Aisaka."

"Hey." She replies.

Minori beams at me with her usual joyful self. "What's up dude?" She asks. I cut straight to the point.

"I need to talk to you… about something that happened yesterday." Minori's eyes light up and she darts them around quickly. She leans towards my ear, her hot pink hair brushing my face. A whisper follows,

"Not now, too many witnesses. After school, near the gate. You don't have any clubs do you?"

"That's a negative." I breathe.

"Good. Softball practice was cancelled too so we should be good."

She plants her feet again and gives me a smile. I nod and we head to class together.

* * *

I leave the school and catch the wind's cool breeze. My brow furrowed, I reach into my pack and don my burgundy scarf. I look around the courtyard for Minori, but only see numerous other students whom I don't recognize. _Where is she?_ I walk aimlessly around trying to keep an eye out for her. Passing the gate into the school courtyard, I feel an arm roughly grab and snatch me over to its owner. _Oh, here she is._

"Sorry about that, I just needed to make sure you weren't being followed."

"...who would be following me, exactly?"

"You never know man. Witches, ninjas, werewolves disguised as a human…" I study the girl before me with a curious look. She too must be feeling the cold weather hit, since she's dressed in light blue jacket over her school uniform. Her face is red, though I'm not sure if it's the wind doing that or something else. We give each warm smiles before she keeps talking.

"You wouldn't mind...walking me home would you? I decided to take an extra shift today at work since practice got cancelled but I've still got an hour." I' _ve...never walked a girl home before. Huh._

"Sure, I'm fine with that. I think I know the area well enough to get home."

"Cool, let's go." We start down the sidewalk together and I glance towards the school for a split second before facing forward again. Me and Minori are silent for what feels like a full minute, yet it's less awkwardness and more uncertainty. Neither of us really know how to start a conversation like this. This truly is a new thing for me, everything that's happened in the past two weeks has been a rush. Finally, I attempt to break the silence.

"So…uh…I hear you work a few part time jobs?"

"Mhm, I'm a little bit of a workaholic, but the money is definitely worth the trouble. I do that and try to balance my love for softball and my schoolwork, with varying degrees of success sometimes heh…"

"Man, I wish I had your drive." I confess. "Just getting anything done for me is like a dramatic life or death battle."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much yet dude. We all find our different ways of being inspired. It's never easy, and everyone's been there." Minori explains.

"...well you sound convincing enough," I laugh. "Must be true." I look at her to see she has a modest smile on her face, but she otherwise doesn't say more. _Hey, dude, remember why you're here._ Oh right. I take a deep breath, and try to ignore my beating heart.

"Well, I assume you overheard me talkin' to Ryuuji and Yusaku during lunch yesterday."

"Mhm. Your voice is sorta distinct like that, like you've got subwoofers in your throat. Plus, you weren't being the quietest you could've been." Minori jokes.

"Ugh… it's more curse than blessing I guess. But, it's not even just that. I uh, overheard you and Kawashima after school too…" Minori attempts to look away from me but can't bring herself to do so for very long.

"To be frank, you did end up helping me find out what I wanted to know about her, even though that wasn't why you did it, I'm positive of that." We reach a crosswalk and I hold an outstretched arm in front of Minori while I check both sides of the street before returning my arm to its pocket and nodding we can advance. She gives me a curious look, like what I did was something odd. I pick up where I left off.

"So the million dollar question is, 'why?'. I hope I'm not prying too much by asking, though it'd be really nice to know why you put yourself out there. Surely you didn't do it for me. Everyone of you has been ridiculously kind to me since I got here but that...I simply can't believe somebody would do that for me."

"...mhm." She mumbles. I don't think I follow.

"'Mhm?', I'm not sure I know what that's supposed to entail."

"Of course I did it for you. I did it for you, and...me." Her voice quivers. She closes her eyes and seems to be fighting tears.

"I heard you say what she said to you, and I knew", she snaps her finger, "just like that what she was doing to you. Kawashima was playing with you like you were some sort of chew toy she could have her way with, and that just, pissed me off. I couldn't even eat my lunch I was so pissed off." She clenches her fist, her eyes full of vigor and fire. _Why though?_ I think.

"You wanna know why it bothered me so much don't you." She quipped, as if she can read minds. "It's...it's….I couldn't stand the thought of her treating you like that. You seem like such a nice guy, someone who doesn't deserve to used like that. When you told us about yourself at Johnny's the other week, I was excited for you when you told us you had a crush on her. But it was probably stupid of us to think she'd be open with you. When I confronted her about it, when she told me her version of it, it just made me hate her even more."

"Why's that? Because she was pretending to like me, gettin' all close to me and whatnot?" I jest. Minori though, doesn't laugh, she just shakes her head and I can see her eyes welling up.

"If only that was true."

 _Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?_ I'm not sure what she just said to me. I feel like, yeah, can we get an instant replay on that? Oh? She said Kawashima wasn't messing around and that...whatever that was last week was for real?

"You can't be serious. I didn't know we were still joking here. We are still joking right? We got hidden cameras around here? C'mon stop playin' around Minori what is this?"

"Kawashima is so damn awful at being direct... That's what hurt me the most when I talked to her."

"I guess I'm not following you at all Minori." This is really confusing.

"She doesn't want you know the 'true' her, she thinks you'll hate her if you ever knew what she was really like. She gave some stupid excuse about how 'she wouldn't be caught dead with someone like you'. At the same time, her advances on you was her poking fun at you and getting whatever enjoyment she could out of how you reacted to her. She's playing with your heart, and pisses me off." I'm silent for a few minutes after that just so I can parse what was just told to me.

"What you're telling me, is that Ami Kawashima, was almost sorta maybe flirting with me, like for real?" Minori nods solemnly and she repeats,

"She's convinced her feelings are a mistake. What bothered me the most was how nonchalantly she was willing to just...toy with you instead of being honest about her feelings towards you." We stop walking and I look up at where we are. _Must be her house._ Minori slides in front of me and focuses on my the ground in front of me. Even throughout this...almost ridiculous revelation, Minori never explained her stake in this.

"I just wanted her to be honest is all, to stop hiding behind her wall, just like what Kitamura and Takasu wanted." _Can you really read minds?_

"...there's something more to it Minori." I stated. Even though she's looking down, I can see anguish in her eyes like she lost someone she loved.

"...let me just say this. If you saw someone who had a shot at happiness, and you know you couldn't have it, would you be mad at them for not taking advantage of it? Kawashima is sitting on chance right now, and she's too much of a prideful bitch to do anything about it. If it was easy for me to be with the one I love I would jump at the chance, but it's too late for me, but not for her…"

And then, the tears. The same girl who greeted me not too long ago with such extreme energy and life now looks powerless in front of me, and I'm powerless to help her.. Her whimpers sink my heart down in the pits, and the tears running down her red hot cheek only further make me feel like I don't know what to do or say to cheer her up. Everything happening is on a list of firsts for me, and unfortunately I'm not some anime character who knows what to do or say at any given moment for the desired result. I'm in the dark, so the only thing I can do is wing it. I approach Minori, and do the only thing I can think of. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me. I half expected her to push me away and give me a "WTF" look. When she embraced me in kind, I stared at the neighborhood in front of me without a word. I was going to give her as much time as she needed, I wanted her to be alright. I didn't want to see her like this. Still pressed against my chest, she apologizes to me,

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this. Everyone sorta sees me and goes 'Hey it's Kushieda! Such a ray of sunshine and flowers!' when sometimes I'm just as lost as everyone else. I couldn't help myself."

"There's nothing you need to apologize for. You did me a huge favor by doing what you did." Is the most sincere thing I can tell her right now. She raises herself from my chest gives me a meek smile, tears still lingering on her face. I give her the best smile I can in return.

In that moment, it was as if all the anxiety that I had built up inside myself for days upon days just rushed out of me _. This is just becoming a world of firsts for me._ My mind wanders for but a split second, but my heart reminds me why that would be wrong and why it would be a foolish endeavor. Kawashima is the girl who stole my heart and is holding it hostage. And if what Kushieda says is true, then a chance at sharing it with her is possible.

"...plus, you're already in love with someone else, aren't you?" I murmured out loud to her. I feel like she knew what I was thinking in that moment. Minori nods her head and answered back,

"Mhm. I've felt that way about them for a long time. And even if I can't have them, I still need to be there for them. But you can still be with the person you want to be with, Ami. And if you need help with anything about her, if you can find me, I'd be glad to help you out."

"I'll take you up on that offer, maybe…" I acknowledge. We release our embrace from one another, though we both keep a hand clasped together as I check the time on my phone. I become aware of my surroundings again, after what felt like the world stopping around me. The chill breeze starts to affect me once more and I shudder from the cold.

"You have work soon right?" I interject.

"Yeah, I've got like half an hour."

"Hm. I guess, I'll take this opportunity to make my way home." I release my hand from hers and give her one last smile. "I'll make sure this conversation doesn't leave the two of us, kay?"

"It's probably for the best." Minori agrees and waves to me. "See ya at school tomorrow, Dominic." I begin backing up in the direction we came from and give a wave back before facing the other way. Before long, besides the sound of the wind and the honking of horns in the distance, I am alone once more. I rest my hands in my coat pockets and snug my face into my scarf to fend off the chill. I journey back to my apartment, thinking about my next course of action and ready to attack the coming weeks without hesitation. _Except I know there will be hesitation because I'm a huge punk but whatever. We're winging this hardcore from here on out._


	3. Chapter 3

The following week, I'm sitting in social studies class, listening to some 60 something year old man drone on about something that happened to a country I've only been in for half a month. _Isn't he just reading out the book? Man, I'll just read these pages later._ Resting my head in the palm of my right hand, I tilt my head past the rows of other students to see if I could get a peek at Kawashima. I can just barely see her head facing the window, she's likely not listening to whatever this guy is saying either. An aura of uneasiness manifests around me, like a dark cloud formed over my head. _Why am I so worried about talking to her? Given the last two times we spoken you would think it be as simple as walking right up to her. But I haven't been able to even feasibly come up with a simple idea of talking to her without feeling awkward. She hasn't talked to me since I...ran from her. I have no clue if she knew she was made, or she's already lost interest in me. Both outcomes seem likely, both outcomes would be terrible if they're the truth. And it doesn't help that I burned my free token with the group by asking they forget about trying to match us up together._ After what happened when we first met, something on the inside just told me whatever they tried would just backfire on them and me. No, I need to figure this out on my own.

The lunch bell rings, and my stomach erupts in a ferocious anger at its master. _Hey don't get mad at me I didn't bring food. How about you teach me how to cook some of our groceries into an edible shape?_ Scanning the room and seeing everyone move their desks into position to begin gorging themselves on delectable, tummy filling, food fries my synapses for a moment. _It's been so long since I've had food that wasn't ramen or junk food..._

"Goodness, you look worse than I thought." I hear Takasu mutter as he approaches me. He's holding what I assume is multiple boxed lunches. I lazily stare at him and scoff,

"What, did y'all come here to do a show and tell off your food in front of me or something?"

"Actually, I made a lunch for you." My eyes brighten instantly.

"Yeah I noticed you never really ate anything during lunch. I thought you'd get something from the vending machines after a few days but I guess… you'd rather not risk that again. I felt bad about you sitting over here starving so I decided I'd help you out."

A pang of warmth burns slightly in me. "Wow Ryuuji, uh, thank you, a bunch, I appreciate it." I tell him. He unwraps a single boxed lunch and sets it on my desk. I open it up and my senses are immediately bombarded. The aroma of different types of spiced beef and fish smother my nose, and the sight of white, fluffy, not gross looking rice is tantalizing. Before I begin to possibly make a fool of myself scarfing the food down, Takasu mentions,

"Hey, why don't you come eat with us? You haven't spent a single lunch break with us." Holy crap he's right. I usually just sit in this corner and sleep.

"Oh, sorry, I'd be glad to join you!" I place the lid back on the bento and Takasu and I head back to where the rest of the group already had their desks in formation facing one another in 4x4 fashion. I grab a nearby desk and slap it together near theirs. Everyone gives me a welcoming smile, even Aisaka, which is more than surprising. Sitting down, I smile back and apologize.

"Sorry for not sitting with you guys until now. I'm not really much of a group person, and I didn't want you guys to get sick of me too quick."

"Don't be silly dude, we'd never get sick of a newcomer!" Minori exclaims in her usual cheery self.

"We're friends man, you should never have to worry about something like that." Kitamura reassures. I grin at him and look across from him to Aisaka, who's giving him the most longing look I've ever seen a person give. She must've noticed I noticed her since her face just squished into a pout when her eyes darted to mine. I open my bento again and retrieve the chopsticks packed with it. Pulling them apart, I remember almost instantly. _Oh wait, I don't know how to use these._ The group starts having idle conversation, and not wanting to interfere with the flow to ask what I'm supposed to do with them, I begin my methodical process of stabbing each individual piece of meat and discreetly insert it into my mouth.

"Hey Ryuuji, how come yours and Taiga's lunches look so similar?" I hear Kitamura inquire. Stab. Lift. Munch.

"Uh, no reason…" Takasu mumbles in response.

"Yeah! They're like, almost the same!" Minori points out. Stab. Lift. Munch.

After carefully avoiding the gazes of my friends, I find myself sated and energetic. _It's as if I forgot about an issue I was fixated on… oh right. Kawashima._ I haven't told anyone what happened two weeks ago, and how I potentially messed up everything. I've been pretty good at avoiding her for so long, though it certainly hasn't helped me get closer to her. Honestly, I have a hard time believing she even had any sort of interest in me. I can count on half of my fingers on one hand how many girls have ever had a crush on me, and it's less than one and no more than zero. I look at Ryuuji and then to Minori. I had picked up not too long after my talk with Minori that he's the one she's in love with, and Ryuuji's mannerisms around her seem to confirm my suspicions. But even he's able to somewhat talk to the girl he likes on a regular occasion. I've been double taking and ducking behind people for days now because the sight of Ami just sends my heart into palpitations. The thought of my insecurity forces an audible growl from me. _Man, I need to stop acting like this._ I can't expect her or anyone else to push me into this, I need to be confident in myself that I can go up to her and hold a conversation. Pushing myself from my desk, the group stops conversing about whatever they were talking about to flip their head in my direction.

"What's up, you goin' somewhere?" Kitamura asks.

"You could say that. You guys see where Kawashima went when the bell rang?"

"She probably went to her doghouse again." Aisaka jests. _Right, let's do this now. I'm gonna go right up to Kawashima. I'm sick of hiding from her._ I nod at Aisaka and everyone else and prepare to find my hopeless crush. Fate decided on something else in that split second. As I exit the classroom and rush to find Ami, my excitement causes me to trip over my own feet like I'm in a bad horror movie, just as someone else is coming through the door in a quickened pace. In what seems to be a trend, I find myself free falling to ground once more with no time to really comprehend what is happening, except that there's another human being falling backwards below me. The best I can do before colliding with the person is to lean myself ever so slightly to the left and hope for the best.

F-K. My landing was harder than I thought, tile flooring doesn't do the bones any favors. I raise myself to a sitting position. _God, I think my knee hit something in really wrong way too. Ugh, at least I didn't fall on the- oh god it's Ami._ Kawashima is already massaging the point of impact with the floor, grimacing. Her eyes turn to me, and I receive the most unholy death stare I've ever seen. Before I can say anything, a group of students has already poked their heads out of the room to see what the crash was. Even out of sight, I can hear Aisaka howling in laughter from the room, like someone just told her the best joke in the world.

"What the hell, don't you watch where you're going?" Ami grunts at me with a hostile tone. Standing up, my urge to profusely apologize to her rises as I see her vulnerable on the hallway floor. However, instead of begging for forgiveness, my first concern is making sure she's alright, and getting her off this dirty floor. I extend my right hand to her and smile at her. Ami is not amused, which only makes it more amusing to me. She just continues to fume at me passively aggressively.

"Are you gonna get up from down there, or you fine with getting covered in dirt?" I joke. Face still fixated on mine, Ami reaches up and grasps my hand. I pull her to her feet and I can hear the "bitch" attempt to escape her voice again.

"Geez, what's your pr-" She starts, but is also just now noticing all the other students who decided to see what the commotion was. Like a lightswitch, her death glare transforms into a goofy looking smile. She clasps both of her hands together on mine and laughs.

"I am so, so sorry for bumping into you like that. I wasn't thinking about where I was going and I got in your way, that was totally my fault!"

"Don't worry about it." I assure. "I wasn't looking either so I'm partly to blame too. You're not hurt right?"

"No no I'm-" Ami waves her hands in dismissal but then she pauses. A slight frown forms on her lips. "You know, I think I may have hurt something on the way down." Her eyes flutter and she tugs at my hand. "Would you walk with me to the nurse's office? Just to be sure?" I dart my eyes left and right to see other students whispering to one another while staring at us. No doubt if I were to refuse Kawashima right in front of all these kids, it'd be social suicide. My eyes squint for a moment. She gives a smirk in recognition but otherwise keeps her deceitful facade up.

"...sure. I'd be glad too." Ami leans on my arm and giggles as she leads me down the hall. I give my best fake laugh in return and plaster the best smile I can muster for Kawashima. The hushed whispers of students begin to fade away as we move away from the site of the incident. I have a girl on my arm right now and it is not how I envisioned it to be. We round a corner at the far end of the hallway to what seems like a deserted area. The moment I realize we're alone, I stop moving, I breathe a sigh and tell her,

"Alright, you don't need to keep it up if you don't want to."

"Whaddya mean...Dommy?"

"Call me crazy, but I'm _pretty sure_ you're messing with me." I jeer, blowing a raspberry at her.

"..." At this point, Ami releases her grip on my arm and places her arms behind her back before giving me a bored look.

"I was hoping to get a little more out of you for a while longer. Pretty dumb of me honestly." She's obviously not amused.

"I really don't get why you need to act like that in front of everyone." I tell her flat out. Kawashima twirls the end of some her hair before saying,

"Well consider yourself halfway intelligent if you were able to see through it. Though I get the feeling someone... 'else' had to tell you and you fell for every second of it when we first met." She flashes a devious smirk.

I frown at the thought of that day. Not the best look for the person you're crushing on I guess. "So what's your deal, why were you storming through doors like someone stole something from you?"

"It's...I, just wanted to…" I mutter out. Kawashima snickers to herself when I say this, and hint of blush hits my cheeks.

"Having a bit of trouble there?", she teases.

"Geez, if you really wanna know, I was...looking for you. That's why I was rushing." I elaborated. This makes Kawashima look back at me with a curious look.

"Why'd you wanna find me?"

"Well, uh, I just wanted to talk is all. Nothing in particular." She doesn't look convinced, as is evident from her dull expression. _God, does nothing get past this girl?_

"Nope. Try again." Ami sticks out her tongue. _Guess not._

"Ok look, I've been avoiding you for the past few weeks… mainly because…."

"You've got a little crush don't you?" Kawashima remembered. I can feel my heart attempt to jump out of rhythm.

"...well, if that wasn't immediately obvious from the get go then I'd be surprised." A smile grips my lips as I speak. "But uh, a little birdy told me some of that, mayhaps you might have a crush too?" The idea of me saying something like that to someone is crazy but from the look on her face as it crunches into a scowl, I feel like I stuck a nerve. _That did it._

"I don't know what you're talking about. Surely you aren't implying that I'd be interested in you?" My heart beat starts to rise exponentially.

"Kushieda may have told me..." I slowly say. "That a couple weeks ago you may have… been seriously flirting with me?" She doesn't say anything in reaction to that, causing me to tense up even more.

"Well, I gotta ask. What's up with the whole… ya know, fake act thing?" Ami's scowl disappears and changes to a defeated frown. "Regardless of whether or not what she said was true, I'd be more willing to know a person who didn't try hide themselves in plain sight like you." I finish.

"Then you're an even bigger idiot than I first thought." Kawashima growls at me. "I doubt anyone would want to bother with me if they knew that this is how I normally was. It's much easier to just keep the mask on and play the role." I grasp for a rebuttal, but for some reason, I can't find a good dispute to fight it. She picks up on my lack of words.

"You know what that feels like don't you? To have to hide yourself from others?"

"..." I give a slight nod. She's 100% on the mark. I think back to the way I was, the way I AM. But I'm trying to change myself, and make sure that unsavory part of me doesn't become the dominant part of me.

"Then why is it wrong when I do it?" She continues. "People see me, they recognize me and assume I'm Little Miss Sunshine so I just play to their fantasy. Better than everyone seeing you for what you really are…" This time I'm the silent one, as I have no understanding of what Kawashima must deal with on a daily basis in order to force her to act that way. I close my hands into fist, feeling especially stupid for how this how went down.

"We're not so different are we, Dommy?" Kawashima jeers at me.

"You seem to think you know a lot about a person you've spoken to like, what, three times?"

Ami shrugs. "Maybe you should try being less easy to read."

"Touche."I sigh in failure, considering my whole plan has backfired, but then I start laughing at the hilarity of the situation I'm in right now, being mentally stripped down like she's known me for all her life. "Just so you know, even if you do keep throwing on the mask and pretend to be someone you're not, you don't need to worry about me hating you for it." I face her as she leans on the window overlooking the courtyard. "I only wish you felt comfortable enough to show your real self around others."

"...well. Now I feel comfortable around you. Hardly anyone around here is interesting enough to bother with. Not like you. "

My eyes widen for a moment and I have to hold back a smile, "Oh, was that a flirt I just heard?"

"Of course not, just an observation." Ami corrects, even though the quickness of her response and body language betray her words. "Though... I wouldn't mind seeing more of you around."

I jump in place, my excitement unbridled and visible as I can't help but beam at her. She sticks her tongue out at me and gives a soft smile. This smile though, isn't cloaked in a lie or filled with deceit. I can feel genuine warmth coming from Ami right now.

"Just one thing though." I tell her as slow my excitement for a moment.

" And what's that? " She chimes back at me.

"N-no more of that Dommy stuff. Especially in front of other people."

"Heh, 'aww why not Dommy?'" Ami mocks. "I actually think it's cute."

"Ah. Well. Then...Dommy it is." I stammer out of my mouth.

"Fufufufu." Ami slowly struts towards me and backs me to the wall. _Whoa, whoa personal space!_ When I'm literally up against the wall, Ami puts her hands on both my shoulders and presses her face within inches of mine. "You're mine now, Dommy…" I almost find myself literally enchanted by her deep violet eyes, like she's actually casting a spell on me. My body has already stopped responding to any sort commands, and while I want to fight it and break free from her… why would I? As I stand paralyzed in front of one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen, she begins giggling to herself, releasing her grip on my shoulders and steps away from me with a light smirk. _Damn c'mon..._ I take a deep breath and recompose myself before forcing a response out.

"Ok uh. It was… really nice chatting with you again Kawashima." I say. She looks at me with a satisfied grin.  
"Ami. Ami-chan if you want. I don't mind." She bluntly corrects as she gives me a suggestive wink. _First names already? Yessss. "_ And, before you go… I'm sorry, about tricking you when we first met. If I knew what I know now, I wouldn't do that to you again." She stops speaking, distant frown on her face and brushes past me, silently.

Taking note of...that, I saunter my way in the direction of homeroom, round the corner and head back to the classroom, a feeling of lightheadedness overtaking me for the remainder of the day.

 _Not too much homework this weekend is a plus I guess_. Switching my shoes out in preparation to head home, the feeling of happiness that consumed me earlier is replaced with subtle anxiety. The best I can do to ignore it is keeping my mind focused on other things. _Even though the thought of Ami makes me blush like a little schoolgirl._ No, cut it out. You can't think like that. Don't let her dominate your thoughts. That's just what she wants. B _ut it's what you want too right?_ Damn it inside thoughts! I can't even confide in you for advice. Whatever, let's just get home. Exiting the school's front entrance, I make note of how perfect of a position the school is to catch the sun setting, giving me something just a little spectacular to look at on my way out the door some days. _Definitely don't get these views that often at home in the states. Beautiful. Definitely as beautiful as...Damn it man!_ Shaking that thought out, I retrieve my phone and open my contacts. It took awhile but I finally worked up the courage to get everyone's email address during lunch. _Ugh…I'll never get used to calling that._ Everyone's email sans Ami's. I didn't avoid her today after our conversation, but at the same time I didn't really find the best opportunity to ask her for it. My best chance would've probably been when we were talking but I was sort of in a euphoric state of joy at the thought of her wanting to be friends with me in the first place. The chance will probably present itself again soon. I try to ignore the chilling breeze that wafts around my exposed face, since I'm too lazy to find my scarf in my pack right now. Eyeing the small pockets of students roaming around the courtyard, I don't even notice Kitamura approach from my blindside.

"Hey Dominic!" He greets. I turn to say hi but notice what looks like a red armband on his upper arm. And even though I know it's not what someone would immediately think it is, I still feel the urge to ask him what it is.

"Oh, it's pretty much our badge for members of the student council."

"I completely forgot you were part of the student council to be honest."

"Yep, vice-president to be exact." He says matter-of-factly.

"I've been...uh…'missing' the past few student assemblies so no wonder that fact escaped my mind." Kitamura's eyes widen and he gets noticeably worried.

"I wouldn't try doing that anymore, people still see you as the 'transfer' so you stand out in that respect. No doubt, Kano has caught on to the fact you haven't shown up to any of the assemblies."

"...who?"

"Eeeh, she's our student council president. She's a wonderful person, but there is a bad side for you to get on."

"I'm not too bothered by it." I reassure him. "I haven't been randomly attacked by anyone since I first got here, and the sliding scale of Murphy's Law has been working in my favor so far."

"I dunno, she's been asking about you during the meetings, wondering why she hasn't met the new transfer student. Kano's a tenacious one too, so I wouldn't put it past her to track you down if she wanted to." My bravado can't hide my discomfort at the thought of being hunted like a woolless sheep.

"Anyway, you didn't tell me what happened after you and Ami crashed into each other during lunch today. Come to think of it, you sorta just acted like it didn't happen when you came back. We were all sorta confused when you came back and just sat down without a word."

"I dunno man. The emotional high I was on was too great for me to share it with anyone else at the time." I grin. "Though if it wasn't obvious, it went stupidly well." Kitamura smiles at my statement.

"I think I'm gonna start making my way home." I yawn. "Gonna probably job search for a bit then catch up on lost sleep." Yasaku waves his hand and apologizes,

"Oh don't let me keep you man. I'll catch you next week sometime." I give him a nod and rotate to leave through the main gate. Before I even make four steps away from Kitamura, a cacophonic voice booms at me from across the courtyard.

"AND JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING NEW BLOOD?" _You gotta be kidding me._ "YOU CAN HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" My legs lock up and I go rigid throughout. My eyes are fixed on the gate out of here. Maybe I can make it? It wouldn't help me out in the long run but at least I'd get away for a while. Maybe my face isn't well known and I haven't been made yet?

"TURN AROUND NEW BLOOD." The voice bellows at me. Nope, no escape. No return crystal, no lifeline. Slowly, I pivot myself around towards the source of the yelling. I lay my eyes upon what appears to be...a girl? Any student that was still out in the courtyard at the time is now dispersing as fast as they can, ending conversations abruptly to escape her. She swaggers her way up to me, megaphone in hand. It doesn't take long for me to put two and two together. Oh, so this is Kano. Scanning her up and down as she approaches, I note her long, dark blue hair and eyes, almost uniform in color. She doesn't have the friendliest face as she approaches me, her brow furrowed and eyes hardened. Kitamura stands at attention when she reaches us, but I just stand dumbfounded. Kano smiles at him and orders, "At ease", before focusing her attention back on me with harsh eyes. _Holy crap, I am actually fearing for my well being right now like she's just going to...break my arms in a burst of speed._ Kano studies me up and down intently for a short time before finally saying something.

"Huh, you're shorter than I expected you to be." _Given the fact that me and her seem to be equal height, did expect me to a giant or what?_ I think the most noticeable thing about her is that gruff, almost adult sounding voice she has. It's like being accosted by an older woman. "I haven't been seeing you at our assemblies new blood." Uh oh. Kano smirks when she detects my hidden distress. "I want to start seeing you at every single one from this point on." I nod in response.

"Good," she goes on. "You look at little rough around the edges, doesn't help you're not from here...where are you from again?"

"Uh. The U.S." Her eyes light up for a moment at the mention of that.

"Interesting...at any rate, I don't want to hear about you skipping another one of my assemblies, got it?" She pierces my brain with her gaze, almost making me forget to respond.

"Yes. Ma'am." I apologize. Kano laughs and pats me on the shoulder before facing Kitamura.

"Thanks for tracking him down for me." After that, she retreats back to...wherever the heck she appeared from. Kitamura turns to me and shrugs right when I give a "Dude what the f***?" look to him. Without any words, I throw my hands up in exasperation and make my way out of the school courtyard. _Oh yeah, I can hear home calling me a mile away._


	4. Chapter 4

Dropping my bag at the door of my apartment, I'm too exhausted to even make it to my bedroom before collapsing on my floor. I lay motionless the ground in my dim living room for a few minutes with a blank mind. _Let's at least get out of these clothes…_ I drag myself to my bedroom and sluggishly change my clothes into something more street worthy, tossing my school uniform at a random wall. Pulling myself onto my bed, I start to contemplate on what happened today. _...Ami...urr...zzzzzzzzzz._ I start to...but fatigue kicks in before anything can come to fruition.

"Huh, what... oh crap." I startle myself awake, scrambling in bed. The lack of sunlight coming through my blinds is an instant indicator that I must've been out for while. Standing up, I peer through the window. Street lights dot the darkened suburban neighborhood, as well as the glow of light sources in residents' windows. I check my phone just to be sure. 9:14… God… Considering I just wasted the rest of my day, guess I might as well just see what's on TV. Heading out to my living room, I start to recall what I was thinking about before I passed out. _Oh right, Ami._ I think, tensing up. I grab the remote and switch the television on. Ugh… The feeling of anticipation and anxiety together bubble in my head and in my veins. Today's encounter was far more tense than I would've hoped, yet at the same time I can't wait to see Ami again. People used to tell me I never had the greatest taste in girls, and regardless of whether or not that's true, something...no everything about Ami just resonates with me. My stomach growls at the thought of being with her… wait what?

 _Grrr…._

 _Oh, that actually was my stomach growling._ Clutching it, I feel another low vibration. I assume it's because I didn't eat anything after school, and this bastard is upset. Lifting myself off my couch, I enter the kitchen ready to just throw some ramen in a pot and let the magic happen. The cupboard opens, and I'm treated to a whole lot of empty space. _Oh you gotta be kidding me, I thought I stocked up last week!_ Opening the fridge, I see a half full jug of water, some almond milk, assorted ingredients that I'm not even sure are still safe to eat, and a pencil box. _How did that get in there?_ I extract it from the fridge and throw it in the dark corner of my living room, exasperated at my food predicament. _The heck am I supposed to eat?_ My eyes catch a glance of neon lights outside my living room window and I peek through the blinds. The light source appears to be a convenience store that continues to shine bright even though most stores have already closed by now. Thank God. I think to myself. Wasting no time, I swiftly slap my shoes on and burst out my apartment door.

* * *

"Huh, didn't know so many flavors of Cheetos exist over here." Staring at the rows of varying snacks, pastries, chips and drinks in the brightly light store is mind boggling. I thought I'd just grab more ramen, but just perusing the different types of food that have here seems to have captured my attention. "Lemme see this, strawberry cream Pepsi? Eh, why not." I collect a medley of drinks and snacks and dump them in the handheld basket I'm carrying. While moving about the small store, I spot a magazine stand and curiosity takes over. Approaching the rows of articles and books, I dart my eyes from cover to cover looking for something that grabs my attention. While I'm scanning, a customer brushes past me briskly, though I hardly take notice of their presence.

"Celebrities I don't know… Cars I don't care about… Food I don't even know what the hell that is… hmm. Wait, is that…?" I spot a fashion magazine nudged in between a gossip tabloid and some doujin. Grabbing it and peering at the cover, my body tenses slightly at the sight of the model on the front. In what appears to be a low cut off white dress just barely showing off cleavage, giving the most lustful stare to the reader, is Ami… I had a feeling Kitamura wasn't BSing me when he told me she was a model, but seeing it for myself is...strangely intriguing to me. Flipping through the pages treats me to more of her in an array of poses and outfits, and I can feel the blood rushing to face. _I'll just be...putting this here…_ I drop the magazine amongst the snacks and junk food in my basket.

 _I have no clue how much this is all gonna cost, but at this rate there ain't no turning back_. I begin to stroll out of the aisle and head toward the register, but something else catches my attention. In front of a stack of random fruit pastries, I see the customer who had bumped into me a few minutes ago. I thought my hand basket was full, hers is absolutely brimming with more snack food than I could possibly eat at any given time. Christ I'm surprised she isn't huge. In fact, she looks pretty slim considering how much of that junk she's carrying around. The customer is donned in sunglasses to conceal her face, along with sweatpants and a baggy hoodie. I can see strands of blue hair spilling out from her hood.

"No way…" I quietly breathe to myself. She doesn't seem to notice me, so I reach for the magazine in my basket. I glance at the cover, then back to girl, back to cover, then back to girl. "Fufufufufu…" I laugh deviously, throwing the magazine back in the basket. I approach the girl from her right side with the stupidest grin I can muster on my face. I get close enough for her to get her attention. The girl grunts with hostility without looking,

"Excuse me, but can you please get aw- EEP!" She isn't even able to finish her sentence before she's already turned her head and recognized me, stupid grin and all.

"Whatcha doin' here A-?" I start to tease in a sing song voice, but she clasps a hand over my mouth in one swift motion and looks around to see anyone is paying attention.

"Keep. Your mouth. Shut." She whispers, letting go of my mouth.

"You have some nerve trying to blow my cover like that." Ami scolds as we exit the store and head down the street, bags in hand.

"I've got some nerve? PFFT… I'm not the one walking around looking like some hood rat heading off to his drug dealer." I say, pointing a finger at her "excellent" disguise. The cashier didn't take note of Ami, even when he scanned the fashion magazine in, so it must be able to fool some people. I _t's almost deja vu, seeing as we just bumped into each other twice in one day._

"What are you even doing here you idiot…" Ami growls at me from beneath her sunglasses.

"I didn't know you ran every 7-11 in Japan. And seeing that haul of yours makes me think you probably run through every 7-11 in the night." She rips off her sunglasses, and even in the scattered street light I can clearly see her signature death glare at me. I quickly clean up what I meant. "Hey hey, I'm just messin'. I'm just surprised is all. I didn't expect someone with…*ahem* someone with your figure to eat like that."

"Ugh, I was hoping you'd never find out about it. It's not like it was any of your business to begin with." Ami scoffs coldly. _Ice queen for real, god._ She takes a brief look at my bag and notices the shape of the magazine jutting from stack of snack food.

"I see you found your entertainment for the night." I hear her tease. I can feel myself getting flustered already.

"S-Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." I stammer out.

"Aww, Dommy's more lonely than I thought…"

"..." I'm too embarrassed to even respond to her. Having your perverted tendencies called out by your crush is not a very uplifting feelings. My mind races for witty comebacks but I can't muster the same confidence I did earlier today. Ami notices the hesitation.

"It's a joke, don't be so bent up about it."

"Mhm…sure. Fatty." I cough. Out of the blue, I feel a fast THWACK of something impacting on my left shoulder. ACK! It was so unexpected that it hurts more than it probably should. I look at Ami to see her right hand balled into a fist, her teeth grit.

"Touchy..." I lament. She lowers her fist and stays silent. We continue walking through the neighborhood for around five minutes quiet. My apartment is in the complete opposite direction, and even though she just put me on blast, I don't like the idea of letting her walk home alone, so I still stay with her. The silence isn't even necessarily awkward, but I do feel like I'm wasting this bonus chance at talking to her.

"So uh… I… what do you… " I can't get any full sentences out but Ami stops me.

"Look, you don't need to force any conversation if you don't want to. I'm... fine with you just being here." She timidly tells me. A wave of relief washes over me. I breathe an audible sigh and glance at Ami, and in that moment I notice a faint flush of rose gripping her cheeks, her eyes still glued to the street ahead. With nothing but distant cars and streetlights to complement our walk, we continue in silence until we reach Ami's home. I stare up at the large condo and give a small whistle at its size. Ami fumbles with her keys to unlock the front door and I stand far behind her, ready to leave at the moment's notice. Something in me causes me to grasp for her attention.

"Ami? I… did have something to tell you." Right as I finish my words, her door cracks open and she turns to look at me after flipping on the light on the inside porch.

"What is it." She flatly breathes.

"Uh. Um. You look really cute in… all that." _GOOD JOB YOU IDIOT._ The light creeping out from her home allows me to see the slight blush on her face, even though she keeps her regular bored look on her face.  
"Thanks...I guess…" Ami mutters. I decide to take advantage of this extra time I was given.

"I… I got everyone else's number from school today, and uh…"

"You want mine too don't you?" She finishes for me. "Give it to me."

"Pardon?"

"Your phone dummy."

"Oh…" I reach into my pocket and hand Ami my phone. She gives my phone background, which I guess I should've changed prior to this, a dismissive chuckle before entering her details into it. She hands it back to me and I have to hold back my excitement from erupting into the suburb streets.

"Thanks a bunch. I'll uh… good night Ami." I add on.

"Night night Dommy." She replies in a kind tone before slowly shutting her door. And now, I'm alone again. With Ami's number.

 _Awww yus._ I pump the air with my fist in joy. Heading back to my part of town, I grab the magazine from my bag and gaze at the cover again.

"Wow I do feel pretty creepy for having this now." At the same time, my heart warms just thinking about her. The warming of my heart doesn't help though when I notice that I'm outside late at night and the wind is starting to pick up. _And...I'm cold again. Let's get home fast_. I had completely forgotten how hungry I was when I saw Ami, but my stomach is now deeply bothered with me ignoring him.

GRRR….

 _Fine, fine. We're going. Pushy._

* * *

I awake the next morning on the floor of my living room in a mess of open bags of pastries and chocolate chips.

"Ugh… what happened last night…" I grumble while straining to pull myself up. It feels as if the room is spinning while being rotated on carousel going 4x the recommended speed. My eyes struggle to open, and I see the TV is still running, and the early morning news has been playing. Glancing at the ground, I feel slightly disgusted at the thought of slumbering in the filth of garbage from last night. Wrappers, crumbs, chip particles and the like are strewn in front of the couch where I passed out.

"Let's *burp*...let's clean this up I guess."

Around an hour later after dealing with my little mess, I'm sitting at my desk in my unlit room, idling through my phone's apps and games, trying to find something to keep my buzzed mind occupied. Thin shafts of sunlight breach the windows but otherwise the room is dark.

 _God, it's only 11am… I've got all this day to work with. I'm probably gonna end up wasting it again._ I slam my phone down on the wooden desk in mild frustration and sit back in my chair. Everything seems so slow when I'm not in school, because right now I'm feeling pretty dead. I don't wanna do homework. I don't wanna look for a job today, not after waking up like I did. My eye twitches slightly. I wonder what my fa-

 _RIIIIING. RIIIIIIIIIINNNNG._

My phone starts to ring without warning, catching me off guard.

"Oh my God. Someone is actually trying to call me…." I lunge for my phone and fumble with it in my hands before I peer at the caller ID.

 _ **Incoming Call from: Takasu, Ryuuji**_

 _Ryuuji? What's he calling me for?_ I slide the button on the screen to accept the call and throw on speaker mode.

"Uh. Hello?" I timidly answer.

"Dominic? This is you right?"

"Yeah yeah, it's me. What's up?"

"I was just calling to see if you uh...wanted to hang out for a bit."

I pause. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, Taiga didn't come over this morning and my mom is actually awake for once, so I thought it'd be a good time for us to… I don't know actually talk for some time." I'm not sure what he meant by Taiga coming over…

"Um. Sure! I ain't got nothing going on today. I'd be be happy to come over."

"Great! I'll text you the address when we're done talking." _Thank God_. "Any idea when you'll be able to make it over?" I sit back and look at my rumpled basketball shorts and plain black T-shirt I'm dressed in.

"I'll be over in the next hour." I declare.

"Alright great. See you then." Click. I sit motionless in my chair for a few minutes, with no thoughts coming in or going out. The sound of a text notification snaps me back into reality.

"I think this is the place…" I swap between my phone and the modest, small sized house. I'm just only slightly confused by the presence of the huge ass apartment that dwarfs his home almost comically. It stands nearly four times the size of Ryuuji's house, erected seven stories tall. I can only imagine how many building regulations are being violated here. I dart my stare back to Ryuuji's house. The stairs leading up to the front door appear to ancient when compared to some of the other architecture I've seen around here. Slowly ascending the steps, my heart begins to race with nervousness. I haven't really talked all that much to Ryuuji since I've arrived at school, but his gesture yesterday gives me some small faith that he's not secretly a horrible person. Stopping at the door, I slam all my hesitation to the back of my mind before knocking on the door. Moments pass, and I hear the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door. Then the sound of locks being shifted and turned. The front door is pulled open and the whites of Ryuuji's death eyes are the first thing I see, but a welcoming smile is the second.

"Hey Dominic, you made it. C'mon in." Ryuuji greets, stepping aside to let me in. I nod with a grin and enter. Kicking my shoes off at the entrance and leaving them among the other two pairs I see, my first sight I see inside his house appears to be a petite sized kitchen, with a set of traditional style sliding doors leading to what I assume is the living room.

"Make yourself at home, I just scrubbed the whole place top to bottom before you came over." I hear Ryuuji mention to me. _Oh right, Aisaka did mention he was a clean freak. Heh, he'd have an ulcer if he saw the mess I made this morning._ While I'm thinking this...arguably useless thought, I hear someone approaching from the living room.

"Oh hello there! You must Ryuuji's new friend!" A young woman steps through the doorway, and my mind goes numb for a moment. _This is his mom?!_ Scantily clad in short shorts that seem too small for her… impressive thighs and a tank top that isn't nearly enough to contain her large bust, this woman doesn't even look like she's out of her twenties yet. She's just standing there in front of me, hands clasped together, giggling to herself.

"Welcome to our little home here, I'm my cute baby Ryuuji's mother, Yasuko." The woman slowly saunters up to me and grabs my left hand. "And what's your name you little cutie?" _INTERNAL SCREAMING INTENSIFIES._

"Bleh gumush herfdurp." I vomit from my mouth.

"Mom, I think you're making him uncomfortable…" Ryuuji interjects. Yasuko blushes bright red.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I just met you and I'm already making a fool of myself!" She stomps her foot in childish anger. "Bad Yasuko, bad!" I stop my internal screaming long enough collect my thoughts and respond.

"My...name is Dominic, Mrs. Takasu." I mutter shyly.

"Please, call me Yasuko, I insist." Her grip on my hand tightens but her smile and bubbly demeanor stays. "'Mrs.' makes me sound so much older… and married." _Oh. Whoops._

"Okay uh. Yasuko…" I apologize. Ryuuji sighs as he moseys past us and into the living room. His mom is still gripped onto me when he passes, and from the looks of it she never stops smiling.

"Why don't come sit with us, Dominic? I'd love to more know about you!" Yasuko subtly guides me into the living room, where a medium sized square table sits as the centerpiece of the room, with a TV set off in the far corner. A sliding door leading outside sits on the wall adjacent to the TV set, though hardly any light is filtering in due to that obnoxiously huge apartment building blocking the sun out. A hook from the ceiling holds up what appears to be a birdcage, but it's draped over with a violet colored curtain, so the inhabitant isn't visible. Yasuko sits me down on the floor next to the small table and laughs as she places herself opposite from me. I kneel on the floor at the same time as Ryuuji.

"So Ryuuji tells me you're from America hmm? How is it over there?" Yasuko inquires.

"Well, when I left it was great over there, for the most part." I ponder in my head for a moment and hold up my hand, fingers together and point to it with my other free hand. "I'm like from this state that's shaped like a mitten, Michigan. Not sure if you've ever seen it on a map but it's a pretty uniquely shaped area." I lower my hands on the table and continue.

"I mean, I can tell you everything I told Ryuuji when he asked me. I'm sure you don't really care about all the little details though." Yasako opens her eyes for the the first time since I've got here and thinks for a quick second before shaking her head with a smile.

"No, not really!" She answers, brutally honest. "I'm sure just having you around will be enough for me though. Ryuuji, hon, can you get Dominic here something to drink for me please?"

"Uh, sure mom." Ryuuji lifts himself up and disappears into the kitchen. Yasako continues to beam at me, humming lightly to herself. As much as I would like to sit here and observe this ridiculously beautiful woman, my actual brain keeps me from staring at her for too long. I instead change my gaze to the birdcage, standing up and approaching it.

"Is there something in here?" I ask.

"Oh yes! Our adorable Inko-chan is just sleeping right now. You might not want to wake her up." Unfortunately, I had already slightly peeked through the drape covering the birdcage before she said anything. I peer inside, and the slumbering bird almost made me scream out in surprise. The bird itself is a bright green parakeet, though I can see an extremely large visible tongue protruding from its mouth, with patches of its feathers missing. _It's hideous..._ I don't think I woke her up, but I'm not going to take the chance of alerting her. I sit back down at the table right as Ryuuji returns with a small glass of juice. While he's setting down the glass near me, I hear Yasuko yawn, stretching her arms in the air.

"Goodness deary, I forgot how tired I was… I think Yasuko is going to take herself a little nap." She lays on her side on the ground and looks at me. "You're such an adorable young man, I hope you come around more often." She lazily waves her hand at her son, only her hand visible from her viewpoint. " Ryuuji, take care of your friend here." Before I can say anything, Ryuuji's mom rolls sideways on the floor backwards deep into a dark room behind her, which I assume is her bedroom. I hear her voice from the room. "Good night!"...before the door slides shut in a brisk motion. And then there were two. Ryuuji gives me a pained look, obviously embarrassed from his mother's lewd appearance and strange actions.

"Sorry about that...I"

"You don't need to explain man. I'm used to how things work around here by now, heh."

"So you've gotten a bit more comfortable then? I still can't imagine what it would be like to uproot yourself and move across the world." Ryuuji inquires. I take a long drag from the drink he gave me and give a somewhat blank stare around the living room.

"To be honest, I'd say I've acclimated faster than I would. And I'd probably attribute that to you guys." I gesture at him while I say this. "Having friends like you guys around definitely make the days at school less painful."

"I appreciate that Dominic," Ryuuji smiles, "I know we're not the most… well put together group…"

"Hell no we aren't." I laugh. "Wouldn't have it any other way." I finish my drink and we both chuckle together. "Hey Ryuuji, how good are you at mathematics? There's a couple problems on last night's homework I wanted to double check." I ask him.

"Hm. I'm not on Kitamura's level to tell the truth but I'm not too shabby. Let's see what we're working with." He pulls out his homework and I show him some pictures of my own and we get to work.

After a couple hours of chatting about school and observing Ryuuji's almost obsessive cleaning attitude, I notice it's getting a bit late as the already limited sunlight starts to disappear. Yasuko still hasn't reemerged from her room, surprisingly. I lean back on my hands as we sit at the living table, Ryuuji on his knees behind the TV tidying up. Staring out the giant apartment that towers over the house, my mind starts to wander, thinking about our little group.

"Hey Ryuuji. Apologies for asking but, what's the whole deal with you and Taiga?" The scrubbing I hear from behind the television abruptly halts, and his body has frozen up. I tilt my head to look at him, and he's still locked into place. I hear him stutter,

"Wh-what do you mean? There isn't any deal or anything going on…" He turns to face me after saying this, trying to put on the best fake smile he can form. _Really? Huh._

"I just remembered you said something about her not coming over earlier, just got me wondering." I remind. I see Ryuuji tense up again, which basically gives him away. Right as I finish saying that though, I hear a stirring from the corner of the room. The metal cage in the corner starts to slowly rattle, and Ryuuji darts his head over and jumps up towards the cage.

"Oh, Inko-chan is finally awake, c'mon over and meet her!" He motions at me to join him by the cage. I push myself off the floor and mosey over the cage as he lifts the curtain off the cage. _Oh geez._ Inko-chan's rotund face jerks to look Ryuuji, and at me.

"Well she's...kinda cute." I admit. As soon as I say this, the bird raises her wings and squints at me.

"S-s-s…" Inko-chan starts to caw from her mouth. Ryuuji makes a wide grin at me.

"Oh, she's about say something! She usually doesn't say much around strangers." I give him a questioning look before gazing back at his bird.

"S-s-st-st" Inko continues to struggle to form a coherent word, as her tongue jerks and salivates every utterance.

"Is she ok man? She looks like she's gonna hurl." I ask.

"She's fine, don't worry about it. C'mon Inko-chan! What're you gonna say?" Ryuuji assures. I can't help but chuckle to myself as I watch this parakeet struggle to push out human vocabulary.

"St-st-st-stu." She continues.

"Yeah? What is it Inko-chan?" Ryuuji excitedly asks.

"Stu-stu-...STUPID DOG!" Inko exclaims with a flap of her wings. Ryuuji's happy mood immediately drops, and he buries his face in his hands in frustration. I burst out laughing in reaction, and point at Ryuuji.

"HA! Looks like Inko called you out!" I can't help myself from dying from the hilarity of the situation. Ryuuji drops his hands and looks at me with a pained expression. I slow my laugh down and bring it to a low chuckle.

"What was that about about nothing between you and Taiga?"

"Let me get this straight then. Aisaka is best buds with Minori, who you my friend are head over heels for. And... Aisaka is into Yusaku who _you_ are best buds with." My head lays sideways on the short living room table, arms folded between my legs, exasperated at trying to comprehend exactly what Ryuuji just tried to explain to me. Ryuuji props his head up with his hand, elbows on the table and eyes drained of energy.

"You got it." He groans.

"So you two decided to combine forces to win the hearts of each other's friends?" As much as I want to be surprised by this, I've been here for nearly a month and it's not even slightly the craziest thing I've dealt with since I got here.

"Mhm." Ryuuji wearly drones, before letting out another groan of frustration. "Please don't let either of them know."

"Dude, c'mon." I retort, picking my head off the table. "I'm not gonna be that guy and mess this whole thing up for you." I shake my head and give a dismissive hand wave.

"Also, definitely don't let Taiga know." Ryuuji warns, his voice getting less weary and more deathly serious. I stop to ask why but my mind immediately races back to every violent and rash outburst I've seen her do, and seal my lips, nodding quickly. _That's probably the smartest idea ever._ We sit in silence for a moment before my mind begins to wander for a second, and I begin to think about a certain someone.

"I know it's… a little weird to ask, but would you have any advice on getting closer to Ami?" I ask with a solemn tone. Another silent moment passes as Ryuuji registers what I just asked him, and he ponders it for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure man, to tell the truth. She's a tricky nut to crack I can tell you that." I stand up from the table and stretch my legs out, meandering over to the window that overlooks the next door apartment.

"I saw her last night you know, late at the convenience store near my apartment. She had…" I stop myself for second and realize that I probably shouldn't just run my mouth about exactly what she was doing. Ryuuji gives a light chuckle in response, almost in recognition to what I was going to say. "She...we talked for a bit, it was really unexpected but seeing her is always, you know it feels really good." I peer further out the window for a second before turning to face Ryuuji again. "I got her number too!" I say with a thumbs up to him.

"That's awesome man!" Ryuuji's eyes light up and he gives me a soft grin. "Have you tried, you know calling her? Texting her?" My eye does an erratic twitch and make a 'bleh' face with my tongue.

"I mean, I just got her number yeah, but I honestly don't have the slightest clue on the best time to start texting her. Or what to even text about. I could ask five different people and get ten different answers."

"It shouldn't be that complicated." He tries to convince me. "I know she's… uh."

"As difficult to crack as a diamond?" I cough.

"Yeah, yeah. That." He agrees. "But I'll just say, if she give you her number, you're already on a good first step with her." I furrow my brow and give a worried mutter. _I know he's definitely right, but I can feel my brain trying to tell me otherwise right now and convince me she was just being nice._ I plop down on the living room floor with a big sigh.

"Do you think you could, help me out with what to say to her?" I uneasily request with a smile. Ryuuji gives me a groan in response and crawls over to me and sits besides me.

* * *

 _Beeeeeeeep._

"Did she pick up yet?" Ryuuji whispers.

"I just hit the call button dude, hold up."

 _Beeeeeeeep._

 _Beeeeeeeep._ Ryuuji moves his head close to my hand that holds the phone so he can hear the audio.

"She's gonna hear you having an ulcer if you keep breathing like that." He advises.

 _Beeeeeeeep._

"Sorry, sorry." I apologize.

My phone clicks and I hear her unmistakable voice.

"Uh, hello?" Cracks through the speaker, with her telltale tone of irritation. I lock up for a second before Ryuuji elbows my rib to push me to respond.

"Hey it's… me Dominic." I manage to get out. A pause.

"Oh. Hey." Ami sighs. _Ouch._ My anxiety starts to immediately spike at hearing that and I can already feel myself losing my ability to do this whole thing. I look at Ryuuji and he silently shakes his head, as if to keep to me focused. I nod at him and take a deep breath and continue.

"What's up? How're you doing?" I ask kindly. I hear Ryuuji off the side smack his forehead.

"..." _Oh god this is killing me._ "Nothing. I just got out the shower but that's it." Ami replies with her standard bored candor. I look at Ryuuji for any ideas and he gives me a "I don't know" gesture with his hands.

"Did you want something, Dommy?" Kawashima coyly teases.

"Dommy?" Ryuuji whispers to me.

"Shhhh!" I hit him back in the ribs in return.

"Uh, what was that?" Ami's tone returns to her regular annoyed tone, for good reason.

"Nothing! Just the TV." _Smooth._ "I actually wanted to know, if… maybe you were available and wanted to hang out after school tomorrow?" I go for it, enough busy bodying. A pause from over the phone. Me and Ryuuji glance at each other and wait for a reply. Three seconds go by. Then six. Then eight. Each and every one feels like an eternity.

"Hmmm… I was going to the gym with my friends tomorrow, but… I think I can take a raincheck on that for you Dommy." She lightly giggles. _Holy crap._ I almost drop the phone in excitement, and I can't help but let out an audible "Yessss". Ryuuji gives me a thumbs up as Ami snickers over the phone.

"Sounds like someone's excited." Ami laughs to herself.

"Mmm, yeah I guess you could say that heh." I've got no problem admitting that. Right as I'm saying this, both me and Ryuuji hear a rapid knock at the front door. He lifts himself off the ground and makes his way towards it. "I'm still not too familiar with the area," I continue to Ami, "so maybe we could just, ya know take a walk around and figure it out as we go?"

"Hmm, Ami-chan just loves that idea!" She sounds… almost genuinely excited maybe? At the same time, I see Ryuuji reach the door which is just out of view from my spot in the living room. The door swings open with a heavy CRASH as Ryuuji jerks back into the kitchen and the assailant stomps into the house.

"Uh what was that?" Both me and Ami say audibly at the same time. My question is immediately answered as Ryuuji reaches for the intruder.

"Taiga, what the heck? I tell you to come in from the door like a regular person and you nearly break it down!" He exclaims in a panic.

"Whatever you mangy mutt," barks Aisaka, "I don't have time to hear your crap tonight."

"My crap? You're either breaking in through the window or kicking down my door! Figure it out for god's sake!" Ryuuji snaps back as he properly shuts the door and locks the door. _Son of a bitch._ Aisaka bursts into the living room where I'm sitting in full view, exposed to her. I've got no clue what has her so bent out of shape right now but it's a little too in the moment to find out. I still have the phone pressed to ear, but I'm just so stunned at what just happened that I'm at a loss for words. Her face lights up in surprise when we lock eyes, both of us looks of confusion.

"What the hell is he doing here?" She growls.

"What the hell am I? What the hell is you?" I shoot back jokingly and in surprise, pointing at her with my free hand.

"What the hell is going on over there?" Ami yells over the phone, loud enough for Taiga to hear. She darts over to me in a flash, landing on the floor directly next to me, hostile aura pulsating.

"Who's that?" Taiga grunts at me.

"Taiga this isn't-" Ryuuji starts to say.

"Uh, no one?" I try to quickly lie, darting my eyes away to avert her close gaze.

"Wait is that the little brat I hear?" We hear Ami inquire over the phone. Aisaka's eyes glow and she rips the phone from my grip, and hits the speaker button on the screen.

"Hey StuChi, how's it going over there?! I see you've got your claws in our little friend here." Taiga jeers. Me and Ryuuji just stare at one another in complete amazement at what is transpiring.

"Ugh God, it is you." Kawashima groans. "What do you want? Why are you even near Dominic?"

"That's a good question StuChi, I'm wondering why he's over here at Ryuuji's house too."

"Wait, have you been over there the whole time?" Ami scoffs, directed towards me.

"Eehhhhh, maybeee?" Not even worth lying my way out of this one.

"Ugh…" She didn't sound happy to hear that. I snatch the phone back from Aisaka in a flurry of fear and fumble to turn speaker off as I jump up to put distance between me and Taiga.

"Hey bimbo, see you class tomorrow. Hope you don't forget to put your boob implants in in the morning!" Aisaka yells right as I hit the speaker off button. My heart starts racing, thinking of a way to remedy the situation with Ami as I place the phone up to my ear. I walk briskly past Ryuuji and stand in his kitchen to finish the conversation.

"Sorry, sorry about that." I attempt to pardon.

"...whatever." Kawashima lowly rumbles on the other end.

"We're still good for tomorrow right?" I hope to God Taiga didn't just ruin this for me.

"Mhm, of course." Ami answers with a sigh. "Don't forget about me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I say with a smile. "See you tomorrow Ami, good night."

"Yep. Bye… Dommy." She hums as a _click_ cuts the call on my end. I take numerous deep breaths to catch my nerves and comprehend the last ten minutes. I look back into the living room and seeing Ryuuji giving me a nervous smile and a wave and Taiga sticking her tongue out at me. I walk back into the room and eye her. I take a deep breath and clasp my hands together.

"Girl. Calm yourself."

"Not my fault your taste in girls is filled with silicon and dirt." Taiga snickers to herself. I grit my teeth for a second, but after staring at her for a moment, I decide not to take her insult personally. I've got some time to hang out with Ami tomorrow and that's all I care about. My eyes dart back to the window and notice the sun has completely fallen outside, and I curse to myself.

"I hate to do this Ryuuji, but I need to get going now. I wanted to get home before it got too dark."

"Don't worry about it, I understand man." Ryuuji dismisses kindly. "Let me get the door for you." Stepping over to the door past me, I look back to Aisaka and blow a raspberry at Aisaka with a TBBTPH! She responds in kind with her own, jumping to her feet in a challenge. Both of us get into quick face off of making dumb faces and stupid noises at each other, before we both break down in a fit of laughter and point fingers at each other. Ryuuji stands behind me, and while I can't see his face, I can only imagine what's running through his head watching two people go from seething animosity to borderline jovial amusement. I wipe a tear from my eye and compose myself as best as possible.

"Ok, ok ok, I'm sorry. That was just too great." I admit to Aisaka.

"You shoulda saw what you looked like, I can't believe you can make your face do that." Taiga gasps in between her own laughs. I hear Ryuuji mutter behind me.

"You two done yet?" He says unamused.

"Yeah, yeah. For real this time." I cough, still reeling from the almost too merry mirth I was reveling in.

I step into the kitchen and give Aisaka a quick wave as I go, and she giggles to herself in response with a tiny wave back. I step out onto the inside porch, place my shoes back on my feet and step outside the door as the overhead light flicks on, brightening the otherwise pitch black suburb street. I turn to face Ryuuji and give him a smile.

"Thanks for today man. Really appreciate the help with everything."

"Anytime. Always happy to have you around." He nods. I give him one in return and he disappears back into his house, closing the door behind him. Reaching the sidewalk, I begin my walk back home, a light pep in my stride as I resist the urge to jump in excitement.

 _Ain't nothing gonna kill my vibe,_ I sing to myself in my head.

* * *

"Yep. Bye… Dommy." Ami hums, as she clicks the end button on her phone. Her expression drops as she tosses her phone to the other end of her bed, and falls backwards onto her bed in a huff. Silence creeps into her room slowly after that little unexpected call, and she stares intently at the ceiling of her room in barely illuminated darkness. After a few moments, she sits up and reaches for her phone again, the blue light from the screen causing her to squint. Opening her recent callers list, she stares at Dominic's number at the top of the list for a moment. _Hmph._ She thinks to herself, before adding his number to her contacts list. _I can't believe you, something about you just doesn't feel real. Everyone else is playing a role, but you..._ Ami does a double take after realizing what she absentmindedly typed into her phone. _Dommy._ A gasp escaped her lips, and she drops her phone again in a fit of personal embarrassment. _Damn it am I falling for it too?_ She told herself constantly it was just a tease, a way for her to toy with Dominic's head without really meaning anything behind it. _Yet… for someone who can see through me and still likes "me", he almost wears the name too well. And it's… kinda cute. Wait what, no stop thinking like that! What are you saying?_


	5. Chapter 5

I plop down into my chair in the rear corner of the classroom, breathing an annoyed sigh, my clothes soaked wet from trying to evade the morning rainfall. Eyeing the clock above the chalkboard in the front the room, I push my glasses back up on my nose, slightly irritated that I forgot to put my contacts in this morning. _Wearing these things out in public is always a nuisance to me._ Checking the time, a curse escapes my lips. _Barely enough time to get the rest of these answers down._ I reach for my math book and frown at the waterlogged nature of my stuff. _Of course it had to be raining this morning._ Flipping it open, I start getting to work. _Change this out. Don't know where I got that number from._ A few minutes pass, and I hit the last question from the textbook. _Uhh, that doesn't even look remotely right, I..._ selective hearing and my trash, distracted brain work together when I notice Ryuuji and Minori chatting with each other over the cluster of conversations going on. _Don't mind me guys, definitely not eavesdropping_.

"...ear I couldn't believe it either." Minori blushes, twiddling with her fingers.

"That's some serious bad luck I tell you." Ryuuji nervously remarks. "Maybe we could try another time then?" There's a long pause from that direction, and I eventually look up from what I'm writing to get eyes on both of them. Minori face is completely blank, and I can almost smell the wood burning as she fumbles with a response in her head.

"...well, I'm not too sure when I'll get another free day to be honest with you, what with how busy things are getting." She finally spits out, scratching the back of her head. I can't see Takasu's face from where I am, but god dang I can only imagine it being as dejected as I would be in his place.

"Heh, no worries. Maybe we'll figure it out another time." Eeks from Ryuuji. Minori immediately changes her face to a bright smile and the words "of course" from her are drowned out by the surrounding conversations gradually increasing and decreasing in volume. Shaking my head, I try to go back and focus on my homework again, but after yesterday, on top of remembering my talk with Kushieda from all that time ago I can't help but ponder. _What the hell is going on between you two?_ Closing my notebook after wrapping up with two minutes to spare, breathe another sigh of relief and sit back in my chair. Yuri-sensei, as if on cue, opens the door into the classroom, a reserved scowl grips her face as she stomps into the room, dropping her lesson plan on her desk with a pronounced SLAM! The whole class goes dead silent at her entrance, ceasing all conversations and causing all students to suddenly gravitate to their chairs as if they had their own field of orbit. _Geez, that woman needs a vacation._

* * *

"So the owner of the store comes out and just starts screaming in another language, and the dude didn't even have anything to say for himself. Caught red-handed, with cans of soda just spilling out of his underwear." I cackle to Ryuuji and Kitamura during lunch, seated at a couple of desks in homeroom. "Holy crap I would've died on the spot in laughter if I could." My story got both of them almost crying too, Kitamura needing to take his glasses off to wipe away the tears coming out of his eyes and Ryuuji's face is buried in his arms trying to stifle himself.

"Are you serious? That's almost too priceless." Kitamura giggles to himself.

"And the killer part is," I continue . "The owner just runs over to the guy, grabs him and yoinks him into a back room and we never see either of them again. Someone else had to show up and actual-... uh..." My train of thought is derailed, and behind Kitamura, Taiga's small figure looms behind him. She's motionless and silent, hands behind her back, eyes averting our direction. The other guys notice me cut myself off from my story and they turn to face Aisaka as well.

"What's u-ACK!" erupts from my mouth as I try to greet Taiga, before a swift foot slams my knee from the side from Ryuuji. I jerk my head to go "What the hell" but he places a finger over his lip, gesturing me to shut it. _Ok…?_ My momentary curiosity is sated once I get a better look at Taiga. Her usual death aura is all but non-existent right now, and she looks almost timid and shy right now.

"Um, hi Kitamura…" squeaks out of Aisaka. _Palmtop Tiger huh._

"Hehe, how...how's it goin' Aisaka? Need something?" Yusaku replies, still snickering at the near conclusion of my story I was telling.

"Y-yeah I actually... could you help me with something? In private?" Taiga quietly mutters to him. _She's trying really hard to not be noticed right now. Not doing the greatest job._ Yusaku adjusts his glasses and straightens his face entirely.

"Definitely, always a pleasure to help out Aisaka!" He smiles, pushing himself away from our little camp of desks and walks over with Taiga to her desk. Me and Ryuuji are left to our lonesome, and I shake my head to him and murmur,

"Is there something I'm missing or…?"

"I think you'll be able to figure it out man." Takasu chuckles. "Were you done with your story? Still can't believe you got involved in something like that." I'm a little miffed that my momentum was thrown off, so I just raise my eyebrow and grunt,

"Y-Yeah, that was it. It's whatever." Looking over Taiga and Yusaku, it wouldn't be too crazy to see what's going on. Taiga's foot is just tapping incessantly and her mannerisms are all twitchy, meanwhile Kitamura's as cool and calm as ever, his friendly aura ever so present. I honestly wish I knew her a little better, only because I refuse to believe that the "Palmtop Tiger" is actually always a blazing tornado of pissed off energy. _Definitely a far cry from last night._ Ryuuji widens his eyes at me when he notices me intently staring at the two, and gives me a questioning gaze. I don't respond to the visual query, and push myself away to get up from my chair.

"I'm gettin' something from the machines down the hall."

* * *

Stepping outside of the main building of the campus, I breathe in deep the wet moist air from this morning's rain, and look around. A number of students bustle around, some deep in conversation, some silently plowing through others to get somewhere, and scattered groups herd together in packs. I was able to get through most of the day without much trouble, and I'm desperate to get the rest of this day going. I'm not outside for more than a few moments before my glasses begin to fog from the humidity in the air. _Goddamn it._ I remove them and start wiping them with my shirt under my school uniform. _Ugh, just so friggin' anno-..._ For the second time today, right as I finish my thought, something hits me in the back unexpectedly, and I drop my glasses in a stray puddle on the courtyard concrete.

"Jesus Christ, watch where you going next time!" I bark angrily as I bend down to grab them immediately. I snatch them from the puddle, and pivot to see who the hell bumped into- _GOD FREAKING DANG IT of course it's her._ Staring up at my assailant, I feel my pulse quicken as I my eyes glide from the bottom up. My eyes stop as I reach the uh… _upper torso area_ and I know exactly who it is. Ami towers over my prone figure, phone in hand with a pissed expression stuck to her face.

"Why don't you watch where you're.. Oh, it's...oops." Her expression drops, and she immediately tucks her phone in her coat pocket and kneels down next to me. She moves close to my face, and I go red hot for a moment.

" _Gasp!_ I am *so* sorry! Is Dommy-kun alright?" She says in a teasing manner with a sly smile. "Ami-chan wasn't looking where she was going, that was my fault entirely. She's a big dummy." _Oh, hilarious AND ironic._ I stammer for a moment while I pick myself off the ground. We both stare at one another for a couple moments, and I can't think of anything to say to her right now. A bunch of students start staring at us, and it feels almost like a repeat of the second time we met. All I can do is try to dry my frames as much I can on my shirt. Ami gives me a little frown and looks away from me.

"You aren't mad are you?" She asks, leaning towards me slightly.

"Nah." I tell her, placing my glasses back on my face, furrowing my brow. Her eyes brighten, and she beams at me with a grin.  
"That's what I like to hear!" Ami walks past me, down the stairs in front of the doors and takes a few steps away before stopping and turning back to give me the "raised eyebrow" stare.

"You coming or what? I didn't take off time working on my perfect figure for nothing."

"Yeah yeah, give me a sec." I grab my phone and shoot a text to Ryuuji while walking towards Ami.

 _Heading out with Ami now, wish me luck._

Kawashima and me start to walk towards the main gate, close together and with eyes on us from nearly everyone. Turning around to survey the courtyard, many of the students are talking under hushed breath, pointing and gesturing at us.

"Everyone likes to talk you know." Ami mutters to me, silent enough that no one far enough could hear. "I wonder everyone is talking about right now, hmm?" She hip checks me and gives me a light teasing chuckle. My face flushes with blood and we leave the school grounds, walking down the street close with another. I place my hands in my pocket and try to keep myself calm and comfortable. Ami strolls steadily next to me, but hasn't said anything else to me. Thinking to myself for anything to say, I decide to just go and break the silence.

"So Ami, what's uh… what's like being, ya know… a model I guess?" Is what I apparently decide is smart to say. Awesome. Kawashima tries to hold in a snicker and covers her mouth.

"Hehehe, real smooth there. Did you like what you saw in your little magazine that night? Is that why you're asking?" _As a matter of fact I did, she's freaking beautiful_. I think in my head for a retaliation but…I decide to be honest with her for a change.

"Frankly, all of your summer shots were probably my favorites." For the hell of it, I go on a tangent, finger on my chin and looking ahead of us down the crowded street being as faux analytical as I can. "I don't know if you got an agent or someone who picked out your swimsuits but that one on page 13? I really dug the color and the little frills. Perfectly matches your skin tone too, you're a real head turner." My eyes glide over to Ami, and her silence is almost deafening. She's been glaring at me, and she turns her head away in a huff.

"God, you are a depraved pervert." Kawashima mutters defiantly.

"Hey, you asked 'Ami-chan'".

She scoffs and gives me the dismissive "hmph". We're both silent again for a few moments, and I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket but I leave it in its place. We hit an intersection at the road, and we stop ourselves, waiting for a green walk light.

"It's not as great as you might think it is, you know." She eventually murmurs to me, slowly fiddling with her hair. I look at her in acknowledgement and let her continue. "Being seen and known by everyone, it's about as fun as you'd think." I ponder for a moment and ask her,

"So when you're out and about being in model-mode, which side of you does everyone else get to see?" Ami is quiet for a second, and I can tell she's trying to pick out her next words carefully.

"Whatever side they need to see."

"Wow, that's not vague at all."

"It's the truth. As good _a_ truth as anyone needs to know." She replies, seemingly in an attempt to shut down the current topic. _Ok, it's gonna be that way huh?_ The bright green light signals us to keep moving, and we begin crossing the street to the other side.

"I mean, Ami, if you were to ask me I think the 'airhead' act really ain't necessary…" I begin.

"Good that I'm not asking you then." Kawashima snipes back, causing me to recoil dramatically, like a punch to the gut. I'm still super curious, so I decide to lightly prod a bit more.

"...you're plenty interesting enough without needing to fake it you know?" Ami brushes past me with a "hmph" and halts a few feet in front me. _Ugh, smooth one man._ She turns to me, her lips downturned and eyes filled with apathy.

"You really have no clue do you?" She seethes towards me, and I wanna respond to her… but a deafening _HOONNKKKK!_ from the street catches both me and Ami off guard. A speeding car from behind us careens down the street at breakneck speed, dodging and weaving through other cars moving at the speed limit. It gets _just_ too close to us and explodes through a giant puddle of rainwater on the side of the street. _Oh f-_ no time to even blink.

 _SPLASH!_ A torrent of water flies in our direction, and on reflex I backstep away to save myself from a watery doom yet by a stroke of luck, it sprays the sidewalk in front of me, sparing me from a drenched fate. Unfortunately, a reactionary yelp informs me that someone was _not_ so lucky and received the full brunt of fate's uncaring slap to the face. _This is not good._ Her school uniform soggy, hair soaked through and dripping, and fists clenched, Kawashima silently stands in place, drenched to the bone. Strands of her hair hang in front of her eyes, while her face is bent into a hostile snarl.

"What. In the hell." She emits a deep, low growl, before she pauses for a second, and draws in a deep breath, screaming into the sky and alerting everyone on the block. "WHAT IN THE GODDAMN HELL!" _Big yikes._ Nearby pedestrians turn their heads for a moment before getting past us without a word. "This is not… NOT what I needed right now!" She rips her blazer off and immediately starts to strain it out, leaving her in only in her saturated white blouse underneath.

"Damn uh, you alright?" I say, in an effort to comfort her. She doesn't even look at me while she works on straining the water from her clothing, yet it doesn't seem to be helping much.

"What do you think." Kawashima dryly kicks back at me. _Sigh._ Walking up to her, our gazes meet for a moment.  
"Here." Calmly my hand reaches out for her blazer. "Let me get that for you." Ami pouts at me, and looks down at the wet puddle that's formed around her for a brief moment before handing me her coat. Taking it from her, I ring as much nasty rainwater from it as I can, and Ami begins to strain her hair as well, cursing under her breath the whole time. While I'm doing that, my eyes glide up Ami's body and they affix themselves to her wet shirt and I can faintly see her black colored bra through it. _Damn it dude, stop that!_ A couple uncomfortable moments pass, and it's super obvious that I'm wasting my time doing it this way.

"… this ain't doing much, pretty sure this thing needs a good wash. Hell, you need a good wash." I laugh. Ami stops messing with her hair, her hands falling to her side.

"God, I can't be seen around looking like this. I need to go home like, right now." _Damn it! Why must a freak water accident ruin my chance like that!_

"Probably a good idea," I quietly mutter, dejected. "I can walk you home then, if we're not doing anything." Ami, turns her head to me and widens her eyes for a second before sighing.

"No, no we can still… it's fine. Let's just head back to my place and go from there." I hand her back the soaked blazer and she throws it over her shoulder. I shoot her a reassuring smile for moral support, expecting her to sandbag me again. Yet, while Ami gives me another pouting face, she without warning hooks her left arm onto my right arm, grasping my free hand with her own. I'm pulled close to her and marched down the sidewalk, my heart freaking out to no end.

"Um…?"

"Shut up, Dommy-kun. You're just… warm. That's all."

* * *

As the day drones on and the sun starts to crawl its way beneath the horizon, my foot taps nervously, waiting for Ami to unlock the door to her place. The orange tint from the falling sun saturates the neighborhood, and the sight of Kawashima from behind, looks almost picturesque… even while she's wet to the bone. So much has just happened so fast between us in the past few days, I've been trying to get better at hiding my apprehensiveness around her. I don't wanna mess this up, Kawashima is just too...The loud CLUNK of the lock turning signals me to snap out of my daydream. The front door to Ami's home flys open and she steps inside, leaving her shoes at the inside porch. _Guess I'll just chill out here then?_ I'm motionless outside in the sidewalk, hands behind my back, idly looking around to the street, the sky, the grass, the anything. A mere few seconds pass before Ami turns around and gives me a displeased expression.

"You comin' in or what 'Dommy'?"

"Uwah, ewgh, what?" Spittles out of my mouth in confusion.

"You weren't just gonna stand out here like a creepy weirdo were you?" Ami smirks. _...Oh._

"I didn't uh, think I was invited inside…" I mutter, and her only response is a squint of her eyes, as if to say "are you serious?". "Ok… I'll come in then." My legs start to shudder with a step towards her door, and my heart rate does it's thing, letting me know " _Hey buddy, you seem to be a little frightened there"_. I reach my foot up to step into her door, and the tension in my muscles grows enough I start to sweat a bit. Kicking my shoes off and dropping my backpack as well, I take a deep breath, slowly plodding ahead until I reach the end of the hallway and the sight is… not what I was expecting. For a superstar model like Ami, her accommodations are much more, modest than I would've expected. The furniture is all rather plain looking, decorations are fairly sparse and not super flashy and it seems to just be a high end studio apartment. I would've assumed someone like her would've wanted something lavish and huge to live in. Then again, seeing as she lives her life as ostentatiously as possible, this type of living arrangement actually makes a lot more sense.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're expecting a palace right?" Ami perceives my thoughts like a champion. I tour the place a little bit, giving everything a quick look over for curiosity's sake. Past the hallway is a single large room that's dominated by a queen sized bed, with a couple bedside dressers flanking it and a very, very large flat screen television opposite to it. A rather boring colored couch sits adjacent to the bed in front the TV as well. Some of the walls have huge prints of landscape shots from some of her shoots, and a particular one of her winking at the camera while in a string bikini have me freeze up again.

"Make sure you don't make a mess over there hehe…" I hear Kawashima's teasing voice chime in behind me. Embarrassed, I turn away from the print and walk over to a picture window that has a view of the nearby river. _Huh, this is kinda nice to see_. It's a nice little detour, especially when the sun starts to set like this and I get to see just how awe inspiring living here can really be. _Welp I'm bored now._ My head spins to keep looking around but a stifled yell freezes me,

"Don't turn around." Ami hisses. Like a stone, I halt in my tracks.

"Uh, can I ask why?" A brief pause and some rustling is my response.

"I don't need your pervy eyes on me right now."

"Oh don't tell me you're doing that in front of me…"I groan.

"It's not in front of you dummy, why'd you think I said don't move?" My head stays glued towards the window, but my eyes grip the edges of my peripheral vision and I can only make out faint movement. Faster than a bullet, something flies through the air towards me and it lands on the back of my head.

"Gah, what the…" I reach for the foreign object to examine it. _It's Ami's wet blouse._ My face goes flush with blood again. Out of just pure reaction, I go to look at her, and get more than what I was expecting. Ami's back is to me, and she's in the middle of undoing her bra before tossing it aside. _Man, she is… gorgeous._ Ami begins to take off her skirt, but as she pulls it down something must've clicked in her head that I was looking because she turns her head just enough to see me ogling her.

"I thought I told you to turn around you creep!" She cracks at me, face visibly red. With one arm covering herself, she reaches for her pillow at the head of her bed and flings it at me in embarrassment, making me duck in reaction.

"Hey hey, what's the deal with getting undressed in front of me anyway?! You can't act like I'm the aggressor here!" I keep my eyes affixed to the carpet, fearing further retaliation.

"I can when its my place you perv!" Ami yelps back at me. "Stay just like that and don't move!"

"Ok ok ok, got it! Geez…" Moments of silence pass, and I'm not eager to move another inch.  
"Did you...see anything?" A weak murmur from Ami bounces through the room. Deciding to be honest, I grumble in a shrewd tone,

"Yeah, I saw one of the most beautiful girls to walk this Earth undressing a few feet away from me. It's like a dream come true." I don't get anything back from her, and the rustling stops a couple seconds later. I hear her walk around for a few moments, and she mutters,

"I'll be back out in a little bit." A door slams, and I take that as my cue to look up from the ground. She's nowhere to be seen, but after looking around the apartment a bit more, I hear the telltale sound of a shower running behind what I would assume is her bathroom. _Alright, guess I'm alone now._ Plopping down on Ami's bed, my old friend 'self doubt' starts to creep up on me the longer I sit and think in relative silence. _That girl doesn't make… any amount of sense. Holds hands with me, invites me in, undresses in front of me… freaking A man this is so confusing._ I pull my phone out and check the time. _6:12pm._ Like a train of bricks, I realize I just forgot something incredibly important, something that I've neglected this whole time I've been with Ami. _Uh… what are we gonna do?_ I offered to "hang out" with her but I straight up did not come up with something for us to do since that night. And the day is almost halfway over now, how'd I get this far without thinking about that? I leap up off the bed, pondering what I could possibly find for us to do so late in the day. Walking around her place, my brain kicks around ideas. _We could go get dinner maybe? No no no, that's way too much like date right? Would she hate that? Movies then. No no, that's even worse. I get told all the time that movie dates are the worse, you can't learn jack-diddly about a girl that wa-_ My internal thoughts are cut short when I flick the light on to Ami's kitchen.

"Lord help me, did an IED blow up in here?" I exclaim. For a girl who holds herself to high standards, what I see is probably the most out of place thing of the night. The counters, the sink, nearly every square inch covered in discarded food wrappers and soiled dishes. Stacked rows of plates with encrusted and hardened foodstuffs latched onto their surface. I can see what looks like yesterday's, the day before's and last week's helping of instant noodles and miso soup. Vile dishwater pools inside the sink, and I've got no idea how long its been sitting there but it's… bad.

"No, worse, this is just a crime against society right here." I correct myself. _Hm._

* * *

"Dommy…" My head snaps around to meet the voice, and Ami's face is affixed with the most WTF look ever. With all the dishes and utensils washed spotless, I was just finishing up with scrubbing down the counters and oven top before Ami came back from her shower.

"Hmm? Oh, sup. I'm almost done here." I smile at her. "This place looked like three natural disasters slammed into it, and I figured I'd help out with it." She was in the midst of drying her hair, but the face of pure confusion that grips her face seems to have distracted her. Ami raises an eyebrow at me, and stammers with effort to form words, but she never does get her thought out before I'm already ringing the dishrag of water and hang it up on a small hook located above the sink.

"All done, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be…" I turn around and give Ami a once over. She's thrown on some regular old burgundy sweats to replace her school outfit, and she's still giving me a befuddled expression.

"Th-thank you?" She finally manages to spit out.

"Don't worry about it, I'm no Ryuuji but your kitchen just desperately needed some makeover help." I joke.

"Egh, you really are weird aren't you?" Ami finishes with her hair and tosses the towel at me with a giggle. Her cute little laugh catches me off guard and the towel decks me in the face and hits the kitchen floor.

"Hehe, it's a bit of a curse, I know." I answer with a blush.

"...nah. I think…" Kawashima stops for a second, then reaches a hand out and pokes me on the nose and winks at me. "... Dommy's fine just the way he is." _Holy crap this girl is perfect with zero flaws my goodness._

With the day fast approaching its end, both of us just decided to chill at her place for the night, which is more than fine with me. My favorite pastime is sitting around doing nothing, and being able to sit around and do nothing with a dazzling girl is like, my primal desire. Ami's legs are folded up together on the couch, face buried in her phone. There's a good amount of space between me and her on the couch, so I stealthily bend my neck to try to see what she's up to, since she's been pretty silent since we sat down. _Twitter… figures._ I retract my neck and pause for a moment before feigning a deep exaggerated sigh. I pop one of my eyelids open to spy for any reaction from Ami, but she's still enamored with her phone. _Nice, now I feel extra awkward…_

"Ew god, Dommy c'mere and look at this horrid dress." Ami chuckles out loud before scooching herself really, _really_ close to me to present a picture on her phone to me. "I used to do group photo shoots with this girl but I couldn't stand her honestly. Looks just awful right?"

Her sudden advancement on me causes me to stutter for a second, and I fumble with my words for a moment looking for an answer.

"Ah, d- uh. Ooh, ohh yeah no. That's freaking… wow how many colors can you fit into a single one piece dress?" I finally manage to spit out expel.

"Exactly right? And Mashiro isn't much better." Ami flicks the touchscreen upwards and shows me another picture. "I have no clue why she decided to book a fall catalog when she still holding onto to all that fat from summer."

"I don't think she's too bad," I admit to her, "it's a little bit of meat on the hips but there isn't anything terribly wron- …" My brain fizzes for a moment. "Ami what are we even doing right now?"

"Hmm? I'm not even sure Dommy-kun…" She replies back with a deep sigh and a flick of her finger, scrolling through her feed. I cock my head, and I find myself squinting my eyes in a suspicion.

"You've gotten extremely chummy with me real fast, you know that?"

"...yeah so?" The glowing blue light from her phone brightens Ami's face, her eyes affixed to the screen. "You're just… easy to talk to I guess…"

"You probably don't even remember what my actual name is, huh?" I snicker. Without looking at me, Ami lightly nudges into my side and giggles.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're my Dommy-kun." _Alert. Alert. Alert._ Everytime she flirts with me, it's always a mixture of flustered feelings.

"Was that airhead Ami, or real Ami I wonder…?" My eyes and voice drift away for a brief moment, and soon after Ami audibly grumbles back at me.

"God Domm- egh... Dominic, do you need to ask that every time?"

"Ahhh that right there, you had to catch yourself there didn't you?" I exclaim, turning to face her.

"Hmph." She pouts and glares directly at me… _goodness._

"...sorry it's just force of habit." I shuffle in place on the couch a bit, moving slightly farther away "I didn't…."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I know. You don't need to say it again." Her voice raises sharply, getting highly agitated and defiant. "I've heard it from Yusaku, Takasu, and you enough ok? It gets old really really fast you know?" Ami frustratingly drops her phone on the couch and sharply turns away from me. _Wow I'm actually an idiot. Good job._

"...I'm sorry." Squeezes out of my mouth. I can feel my anxiety spiking, the thought of messing everything up right here like this chilling my blood. "I'm a complete dumbass and I'm godawful with words, didn't know what I was saying and… ugh, sorry. Didn't mean it that way." Ami doesn't say a word to me for a couple brief seconds, and my breath stifles in anticipation. She shifts her gaze towards mine, our eyes lock together and in that moment, it's almost as if we're peering into each other's mind.

"...trust me." Ami meekly squeaks out, catching me off guard. "If there was a way I could stop it, I would."

"How come… what's stopping you then?"

She springs up from the couch in a rush of anger, and all the warmth that had built up between us sitting right next to each other goes with it.

"I already told you before, if people knew who I was, it's practically social suicide." My mind flashes back to a couple days ago when both us had our little episode in front of most of our class. "No sane person would like a… bitchy, terrible person like me."

"Uhhhhh!" I abruptly interject, holding a finger up as if to say 'hold on there' "I'd say our other friends are more than okay with you as you are now. Who's to say everyone else wouldn't?" Ami turns around and gives me a death glare.

"I did say 'sane' didn't I?" After thinking in my head about just who exactly our friends are, I shrug and mutter,

"Fair enough."

She holds her glare for a moment longer, but she can't hold the facade and it drops back into a sad frown, turning back around. She takes a few steps over to the window and blankly gazes out into the darkened suburb, sporadically dotted with street lights and faintly lit by the moon that has climbed its way into the starry sky. "I've always felt like the outsider looking in, a foreign object that shouldn't be there, that should be removed. When that 'part' of me comes out, I can at least feel for a moment like I belong."

My phone flashes alive as it rings loudly, shattering the focus I had on Ami and freaking me out slightly. Annoyed, I check to see who could possibly be calling me right now.

 _Incoming call: Takasu, Ryuuji_

 _Shoot, was he the one who texted me earlier?_ I glance up at Ami who still hasn't moved from her spot spaced out staring at the window. _Sorry man, now's a bad time._ Hitting "silent" on the screen, I throw the phone towards the end of the couch.

"Sorry 'bout that." I nervously mutter. Ami doesn't move an inch. _Great, my whole train of thought is broken now._ Pushing myself from the couch, my legs carry me over to where Kawashima is perched. I place myself next to her, leaning with my back on the window sill, crossing my arms with a deep sigh. In the past month that I've known her, I don't think I've ever seen her seem so, defeated. Even through all the times she's tried to just play with me and make me question my feelings for her, even after her actually being unpleasant to me, seeing her like this… _oh. Oh no. This is exactly the same way I felt with Minori._ My head does loops trying to figure out how to lead with this situation, but I don't even get the chance before Ami breaks the silence without looking at me.

"…I really hate you. Of all the people…why you?" Kawashima mutters under her breath. _Uh oh._ My mind halts all thoughts and only begins to panic when I hear that.

"Uh, I'm… oh. S-" Sputters out of mouth and my whole insides begin to panic, yet she cuts me off before I can finish.

"At least before when it was just Takasu-ku-*ahem* Takasu, I could just… have my fun and move on. I'd already given up on... " Her voice trails off, and the thought of finishing her sentence in my head panics me further. She turns away from the window and we lock eyes once again "Then you showed up."

"Wh-what'd I do…?" I anxiously reply, my entire body on overdrive, all of my self doubt flooding into me harder than I've ever felt before. Ami hands start get fidgety, behavior that I've never seen from her before, and even in the dim light of the moon, I see her face goes slightly red.

"...you cared." Ami Kawashima flatly admits to me. _What. The._ All of the built up stress from that last 18 seconds dissipates out with haphazard exhales, causing me place a hand on my chest in sheer amazement. She smirks at my reaction, definitely picking up on what I was feeling that whole time.

"Oh, uh… I…um… ah… pardon?" I manage to get out.

"Dominic, a month ago I was basically a complete stranger to you. I acted like a complete bitch towards you, made fun of you, berated you...and every time you still cared. I tried to push you away, and you came back, every time. You see 'me', and even if it's just for the time I'm around you, everything feels alright. Just like Takasu..." She goes quiet for a second, and turns her back to me for a moment, her long hair whipping me in the face. In the stillness of the moment she almost inaudibly breathes. "...and you're much cuter too."

"What was that?" My ears perk up instantly and I push my glasses back up on my nose, but she does an about face to look at me again.

"Sorry, just a cough." She gives me a light smile and I pretend like… I didn't hear what was just said. For now. _I wonder if I have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, since most people would probably tell me I'm a moron for being around someone who's done all that stuff to me, especially scaring me like she did. But… she's different. I want to say special. I want to… AAGHH!_

"Well, um... " _Ack, words!_ "...yeah. It isn't any secret that I... " _Ok screw it, just say it. JUST SAY IT!_ "...phew. Ok..." I begin shivering for a sec, and Ami's smile drops and she gives me an inquisitive expression. I aimlessly stroll to the middle of the room. "It sounds weird to say after only a month but… after seeing you on that first day… being able to meet you and…" I stop myself to let my brain catch up with my mouth, and glance at her. Still giving me the same wide eyed look with no other reaction. The room's dead silence besides my staggered breathing makes the entire encounter about three times as intense as it has any right to. _Don't chicken out man. Just. Calm down._ I take one, nice, meaty, deep inhale, then let it _all_ out.

"I'm stupid in love with you, Ami. Not mincing words or being ambiguous. Happened from the moment I saw in you class that day. That probably doesn't come to a surprise to you at all, you're just walking perfection." Ami meanders away from the window, approaching me and stopping mere inches in front of me, arms behind her back, but the same wondering expression on her face. _Take it easy man._ "And, yeah, we are alike, just like you said in the hallway before. It almost sounds sorta awful that… I'm happy about that. It's why I don't… can't and won't ever judge you for acting the way you do." I shake my head to her for emphasis. "We're both outsiders, foreign objects that probably shouldn't be around. And we know each other more than I'd be willing to admit." Her lips slowly curve to make a slight smirk, and her enchanting gaze puts me more at ease. "That 'complete bitch' part of you, the 'airhead part, doesn't matter to me. All of it is 'Ami Kawashima', and…" One. Last. Inhale. "I think you're pretty cool."

I drop my hands in exasperation, I basically just fought _myself_ to tell the girl of my dreams that I like her, and I was so unready for it. I wait on bated breath for a response from her, the smirk still the only sign she's giving me. After what feels like an eternity, Ami's feet carry her mere inches away from my face, so close I can feel her breath. If I didn't know any better, pretty sure I'd be having a heart attack right now. She pulls her hands from behind her back, and sensually places them on my shoulders, pulling me closer to her in a romantic embrace. _PANIC PANIC PANIC PANIC._ Kawashima leans her face into mine… shifts her mouth near my ear, and whispers.

"I know Dommy-kun." Ami coos gingerly in my ear. The grip on my shoulders releases, and she retreats backwards laughing to herself. "Did you think that would surprise me?" My mouth is agape and my mind is busted.

"Um. I. Guess not. So none of that was news to you at all?" I blankly ask.

"Hmm… not too much."

"...alright then." _I don't know what I expected._

* * *

After… that happened, both of us found ourselves watching TV together for a couple more hours, though I was significantly more silent during it, sadly staying quiet even when Ami would bust into laughter because what would happen during the show. I was too embarrassed to even say much more, since I feel like I just made a fool of myself, pouring my heart out to her for such a limp reaction. _Misreading the situation, again. Great job Dom!_ It wasn't too long before I started concocting an excuse to leave, stretching myself out and getting up from the couch.

"*Yawn* Alright, I should probably get to getting. I still have some homework I need to finish before 4th period tomorrow." Ami yawns herself and chides me,

"You stayed this late when you had homework? What's wrong with you?" My heart begins to sink deep, and shrug in a defeated manner.

"Not uh. Not sure to tell you the truth." Ami shoots a glance at me, and sighs to herself, though I don't know what her deal is.

"I'll walk you out Dommy. C'mon." I grab my phone from where I tossed it on the couch, brushing past Ami and walking over to the front door. I crouch down to get my shoes back on, and I hear her stop right behind me while I'm doing this.

"Careful on your way back, Dommy-kun." Ami tenderly tells me. Getting up, I inhale and glance back at her.

"I'll try." I reach for my backpack and sling it over my shoulder.

"Text me once you get home, hm?" She timidly asks. I squint my eyebrows while I advance on the door.

"S-s-sure. I'll do that." Twisting the doorknob and merely using my forehead to push the door ajar, I'm emotionally tapped out and ready to just go home and get in bed. I get one step out the door before Ami speaks up again behind me.

"Just uh, so you know…" For the third time I look behind me. "...cute glasses."

"...uh. Cool. Thanks." I muster the best smile possible. "I'll catch you tomorrow then, at school. See ya." Exiting the threshold of the door, I let it close behind me, barely catching a glance of Ami waving goodbye to me. CLICK. The door shuts and I'm cut off from her. And just like that, I was alone. Again.

* * *

One depressing walk back home later, the moment I shut the door behind me in my apartment, I fling my backpack at the wall in a fit of despair. Honestly, I need to hold myself back from turning on the fountain of tears, but I tell myself over and over. _Don't do it, don't do it. You're fine man. Just… fine._ A single tear descends down my cheek, and I need to basically force myself to drag my legs to my bed. Tossing all my clothes and setting my glasses and phone down, I fall into bed. It's only a matter of time before I can't hold back my sadness any longer, and I need to start letting myself just let them flow. Sniffles and all. My arm reaches over to my phone and the blue light burns my aching eyes. With extreme effort I open my messages and find Ami. Every finger movement takes more and more strength.

 _I'm home._

Dropping the phone in front of my face, a couple more minutes of empty silent grief pass before it vibrates. Inching my hand to grab it, I turn the screen to blind me again, squinting to read the response.

 _3 Great!_ _C ya tomorrow! 3_

More tears start to well in my eyes, and the urge to thrust my phone into the air rises exponentially. Between a couple sobbing spells and sniffles, I have some of the worst sleep I've had in… a terribly long time.

 _This sucks and I'm a moron._


End file.
